


Rising Tides

by Katelovestowrite



Series: Ocea [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men (Movies), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-24
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-04-17 01:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 23,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4647474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katelovestowrite/pseuds/Katelovestowrite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever wondered what it would be like to be a part of X-Men: First Class? This is the story of you, a young mutant with the power over water. You were in hiding until Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr recruit you for their division of the CIA. Through danger and peril, you slowly fall in love with Alex Summers. Better than the summary, promise! Reader-insert story. Teen to be safe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Recruitment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So, this is my first X-Men fic! I based the reader's powers on waterbending from Avatar: The Last Airbender. If you don't know what that is, you should totally look it up! :) Hope you guys enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own Marvel, X-Men, X-Men: First Class, or any of the characters.
> 
> Reader-insert key: Y/N (Y/F/N)= Your First Name. Y/L/N= Your Last Name.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

I checked the clock. 

_9:30P.M_

I sigh. _Finally, I can go home._

I was just finishing locking up the local library I worked at. It wasn't the best paying job, but I loved books. Plus, it was a quiet job. Which is good for people like me...  
A _mutant._

Let me back up. My name is Kate. And from what I've researched, I'm a Hydrokinetic. That means I can control water. Cool, right? Except, that means I'm a mutant and mutants aren't exactly "liked." In fact, they're pretty much _hated._ So the quieter the job, the better. No one really pays attention to librarians. They certainly don't listen to you when you tell them to _'shush.'_

I grab my bag from under the front desk and make my way out. I make sure only the security lights are on and then lock the doors. The streets are pretty much deserted this time of night. Only the streetlights keep me company as I make my way back to my small apartment. The place I live in is somewhere between a city and a town. Too small to be a city, but too big to really be a town. Just big enough that I'll go unnoticed, but not so big I feel like I'm drowning. I call it home, but it's not. I left home a long time ago.  
My parents died when I was eighteen. My younger brother as well. It's a memory I don't like to relive...  
_____________________________________

 _I grew up in a small town. Which was nice... For awhile. But in a small town, people talk. So when a young girl started doing weird,_ **_unnatural_** _things, it spread like wildfire. People would stare, whispering behind my back. Kids would bully me relentlessly. Most of the time, I was miserable. My parents did their best to support me. But they honestly had no clue what to do._ **'How to Parent a Mutant'** _isn't exactly in the Parent Handbook. My little brother didn't understand either. How could he? He was so young._

_The day of the 'incident,' as I call it, seemed normal. Well, normal for me. My dad made breakfast for everyone before work and school._

_"Thanks, Dad." I say, smiling softly and grabbing a plate of eggs and toast._

_He smiles back. "You're welcome. All ready for school?"_

_"Yeah. I'm pretty sure I'll ace my history test." I say, shoving a spoonful of eggs in my mouth._

_"Glad to hear it." He responds._

_"Good morning!" My mom calls, making her way into the kitchen. Dad hands her a cup of coffee. Mom takes a sip and smiles.  
"Perfect. So what's going on today?"_

_"Y/N was just telling me she thinks she'll ace her history test." Dad says._

_"As much as she loves history? I should say so!" Mom looks at me with a smile. "We raised a smart daughter."_

_I grin. "Thanks, Mom."_  
Even though they weren't sure how to raise a mutant, they still cared about me and loved me. So for their sake, I didn't tell them I was dreading going to school. While I liked learning, and learned quickly, I didn't want to face the bullying of the students and the judge-mental stares of the students. My senior year it seemed the bullying and alienation had reached a whole new level. Then again, so had my powers. If I got too emotional, my powers would flare. Like, say, if I was being bullied.  
One time, some kids were pushing me around and calling me a freak and I got overwhelmed. Next thing I knew, all the water fountains in the hall exploded. The hall was quickly flooded. The bullies definitely didn't leave me alone after that. 

_I quickly finished eating my food and dumped my dishes in the sink.  
"Bye, Dad! Bye, Mom!" I say, giving both of them a hug. I walk over and ruffle my little brother's hair. "Bye, buddy."_

_I grab my backpack and head for the door.  
"Love you guys!" I call._

_That was the last time I spoke to them._

_The school day was long and terrible. Kids were still as horrible as ever; tripping me in the halls, laughing at me, whispering behind my back, and calling me names like 'Freak' and 'Filthy mutant.' The adults were a little better. They only gave you dirty looks and called you names behind your back. The only bright part of my day was that I did, indeed, ace my history test._

**'Can't wait to tell my parents.'** _I think, as I walk home. I had my graded history test in hand._

_But when I was still a little ways away, I could see smoke and hear sirens. I ran towards my house as fast as I could. When I got there, my house was in flames. A crowd had formed, wanting to see the drama up close for themselves. I shove my way to the front of the group to see what was happening to my house. Firefighters were trying desperately to put the flames out. I could hear some of them shouting to each other._  
_"It's too hot!" One yells._  
_"Any survivors?" Another asks._  
_"No one could have survived this."_

_My heart stopped. My mom stayed home and my dad should have been back from work. My brother rides the school bus everyday, so he should have been home from school as well.._

_"No.." I whisper._

**'They couldn't all be gone... They couldn't! How could this have happened?'**

_Then I saw it. Painted in the driveway were the words, 'Filthy Mutant.' The horrible truth hit me; my family was dead and it was all my fault. I couldn't breathe. It felt like my chest was being crushed. Tears filled my eyes and threatened to spill over. The smell of the smoke made me nauseous. I turned around to run- and saw the whole crowd staring at me. They recognized me. I could see the hate in their eyes._

_"No.. No.." I whimper. I felt like my heart was going to explode. "No, no, no, no,_ **NO!** _" I scream and cover my head. There was a loud groaning sound before multiple fire hydrants exploded._ _Everyone screamed in fear and ran for cover. I took the opportunity and bolted, my history test forgotten on the pavement. I only glanced back once. The water gushing from the fire hydrants and the fire trucks managed to put out the fire._

 **'Goodbye.'** _I think._ **'And I'm so sorry.'**

_Thankfully, I had some cash on me. I was able to buy a bus ticket out of town. It wasn't until that night, when I was riding in the almost solitary bus, that I allowed myself to mourn.  
I cried. I cried for hours and hours. At some point, I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, the bus was stopping and I was a long way from home. I stayed in a homeless shelter until I was able to get a job at the library. The little old lady who managed it took pity on me and hired me. It took me awhile, but eventually I was able to rent an apartment. I still didn't have any friends and still wasn't accepted for who I really was, but I was safe. And that was enough._

_Or so I thought._  
_____________________________________

I'm brought out of my thoughts at the sound of two sets of footsteps behind me. At first, I thought nothing of it. There were always a few stragglers out this late. Possibly drunks. But after turning two corners and the footsteps still being behind me, I grew wary. I pretended to look in a shop window as I walked past. Sure enough, in the reflection of the window, there were two men following behind me. I took a subtle deep breath.  
Then I bolted. I ran as fast as I could, my converse slapping the pavement. I darted down side street after side street. Eventually I had to stop and catch my breath. I leaned against a brick building in the entrance of an alley, gasping for air.

_I think I lost them.._

A rustling sound made me tense up. There was a decent sized puddle in the alley from where it had rained earlier in the day. Something moving in the shadows made me take action. I quickly manipulated the water, pulling it off the ground and forming a stream of water, poised to attack.

**_'I wouldn't do that, if I were you.'_ **

The sudden voice makes me jump. The two men from earlier step out of the shadows. I look for a way out but they stood in the entrance of the alley, boxing me in. I cursed myself for stopping at a dead end alley. I quickly studied the men, hoping to find a weakness or opening. I didn't know a lot about self defense, but I knew some, considering I had to fend for myself for the last four years. The shorter of the two men had longer hair, nicely styled. His clothing was very well put together and looked high quality. While I was wary about him, his blue-grey eyes seemed kind.

_Obviously he has money. His eyes seem to say he can be trusted, but then again, so did most of the people in my home town.._

The taller man had shorter brown hair that was immaculately styled, not a hair out of place. He was dressed more casual, but still very nice. His blue-green eyes had a haunted look in them, like he had seen too much in his lifetime. I knew because it was a similar look to my own. 

_Control freak. Has money, but not as much as the other. Some traumatic event most have happened to him. He seems to have an air of anger about him... A quick strike should throw them off.._

I get ready to fight my way out. The shorter man puts two fingers to his temple.

**_'You're very observant, and quite on point with your assessment of us. Please, there's no need for violence. We just want to talk.'_ **

I gasp at the sound of his voice in my head. Before, I thought he had spoken aloud but now seeing him in person and seeing how his lips never moved, I'm astounded.

"H-How are you doing that?" I ask.

 ** _'The same way you are controlling that water. You didn't think you were alone, did you?'_** The man asks.

"Well, I'd heard stories, rumors, about people like me but I've never gotten to meet one before." I reply, hesitantly.

"My name is Professor Charles Xavier, and this is my associate Erik Lehnsherr. Now you've met two people like you." The shorter man, Xavier, says. He actually spoke aloud that time.

"I'm Y/N.. Y/F/N Y/L/N. So, you can talk inside people's minds?" I ask him.

"I'm a telepath." Charles clarifies.

I nod. "So you can read minds and communicate with others."

Professor Xavier looks surprised. "Yes, among other things. You know about telepathy?"

"I studied anything to do with mutants the moment I found out I was one." I respond. I still kept the water poised, I didn't what these two men wanted. "What about you?" I nod my head to Erik.

"I can control metal." Erik states.

"Magnetism." I nod again.

"Indeed." The Professor says, sounding impressed.

"As you can see, I'm a Hydrokinetic. I control water. Now tell me what you want from me." I demand.

"Per the government's request, we are building a team of mutants to assist them. There's a mutant by the name of Sebastian Shaw who has his own team of mutants, including a telepath. They are trying to put Jupiter missiles overseas to create World War III. If Shaw gets his way, there will be massive chaos. Thousands of innocent lives will die. We need your help."

"Wait.. You want me to help you fight a _war? Me?_ A twenty-two-year-old girl?" I ask, incredulously.

_Are these guys insane?!_

"We might be a little insane, yes. But we need your help."

_Right. Telepath._

"Your powers are quite spectacular. You would be very useful. Not to mention you'll be with other mutants. You won't be judged by them. It will be a safe place for you to use your powers." The Professor assures.

"So, what? I just drop everything and go with you? Two complete strangers?"

Professor Xavier and Erik exchange a look.  
"Here, will this help?" The Professor reaches into his coat pocket. I tense, ready for anything. "Hey, take it easy." He says. He slowly pulls a business card out and holds it out. I scan it quickly. It was a very official looking CIA business card. I didn't recognize the name, then again I've never met a CIA agent in my life. Or any government agent for that matter. After looking into the pleading eyes of Professor Xavier, I finally let my guard down. I release the water, letting it fall back into a puddle on the ground.

"Okay.. But the first sign of dishonesty, and I'm gone. And don't try to stop me." I warn.

"Deal." The Professor agrees.

"I think I'll like you." Erik muses. They both lead the way out of the alley.

"Can we stop by my place and let me grab some stuff?" I ask.

"Of course. But I suggest you pack light. We have a long trip and I can supply you with whatever you need." Professor Xavier responds.

_Right.. Lots of money._

We walk in silence the short distance to my apartment.  
"Wait here." I say, going inside.  
I make my way quickly and silently to my apartment on the second floor. I unlock my door and enter. I head straight to my bedroom. I grab two spare sets of clothes, a set of pajamas, and some toiletries; throwing them in my backpack. I take a quick look around my apartment, seeing if there was anything I absolutely couldn't live without. My old school binder caught my eye. I opened it and saw the picture of my family still tucked inside of it. Their smiling faces stared up at me. I smiled back sadly. I tucked the photo in an interior pocket of my backpack. I also grabbed a small box that had a silver ring my dad gave me when I was eleven, and put it in the bag as well. Then I zipped it up and slung it over my shoulder. I took one last look at my tiny apartment, before locking the door and jogging silently down the stairs.

When I made it back to the Professor and Erik, they were leaning against a car that was there when we arrived. Erik moves around the back of the car and opens the back passenger door.

_If this car was here when we arrived..._

"Spying on me, were you?" I ask.

The Professor smiles apologetically. "Yes, well we weren't entirely sure where you would be at what time. So yes, some spying was involved."

I chuckled lightly and got in the car. Erik shut the door behind me. The Professor takes the driver's side while Erik takes the passenger's.

"So, where are we headed?" I ask.

"A secret CIA facility." Professor Xavier responds.

"Because that doesn't sound threatening..." I mumble.

Erik snorts.

_Well, this is it. Off to a new life..._

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys have enjoyed! Review, let me know! Your feedback is greatly appreciated! :)
> 
> ~Kate


	2. The Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kind of a build up for the next one (if you've seen the movie, you know what I mean). I tried to get the quotes from the movie as accurate as possible, if it's slightly off, I'M VERY SORRY!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reader-Insert Key: Y/N= Your Name (Meaning your first name. It looks better than Y/F/N to me. I only use Y/F/N when including Your Last Name).
> 
> Disclaimer: I hope you guys already figured out I didn't own Marvel, X-Men, or Alex Summers (even though I really wish I owned that last one!).

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

"We should think of code names." Raven said. "We're government agents now. We should have secret code names. I want to be called Mystique." 

"Dang, I wanted to be Mystique." Sean moans dramatically.

"Well, tough. Cause I called it." Raven taunts. Suddenly, she shape shifts to look like Sean. 

We all jump in surprise, shouting, "Woah!"

"And I'm way more mysterious than you." Raven (as Sean), smirks.

Everyone applauds, even Sean, who's jaw was on the ground.

"Darwin, what about you?" Raven/Mystique asks.

"Well, you know, uh, Darwin is already a nickname. And, you know, it fits. Adapt to survive and all. Check this out." Darwin stands and walks toward the fish tank. Without further prompting, he sticks his head in the water. As we watch, gills form on the sides of his face. He opens his mouth, breathing in the water like oxygen. As we cheer, Darwin shoots us a grin. He stands up and shakes off the water.  
"Thank you! Thank you!" He responds to our applause. "What about you?" He gestures to Sean.

"I'm going to be..." Sean looks lost in thought. "Banshee."

"Wait, why do you want to be named after a wailing spirit?" Hank asks. I admit I was curious too.

"You might want to cover your ears." Sean says, as he moves to the middle of the room.  
We all look at each other curiously, before hesitantly complying.  
Sean crouches slightly in front of the coffee table and sucks in a huge breath. He looks to his right, and then his left, before releasing a high pitched shriek. The blast hits the glass window, shattering it. I gasp, before letting out a laugh. Soon the others join in, laughing and applauding.  
"Your turn!" Sean says, pointing to Angel.

"Well, my stage name is Angel. And," She says, taking off her leather jacket and turning her back to us. Sean lets out a wolf-whistle. "It kinda fits." The wing-looking tattoo sprouts from her skin, turning into real wings.

Raven gasps. "You can _fly_?"

"Uh-huh." Angel smirks. "And um," She faces the shattered window. She throws her head back, before launching a small fire ball out of her mouth. It flys through the air, singeing the statue's head outside. We burst into laughter.  
"What's you name?" She asks Hank.

Hank shifts in his seat, obviously uncomfortable.

"How about 'Big Foot'?" Alex suggests, with a slight chuckle. I admit, as soon as I saw Alex for the first time, my heart fluttered. But his comment about Hank was not nice. Raven/Mystique bristles.

"Well, you know what they say about guys with big feet." She looks down at Alex's feet in distain. "And, uh, your's are kinda small."

Everyone "oohed!" Although what Alex said wasn't nice, I felt a twinge of protectiveness for him at Mystique's insult.

"Alright, Alex. What is your gift? What can you do?" Darwin asks, in an attempt to dissolve the building tension.

"Uh, it's not, um... I just can't do it. I can't do it in here." Alex replies uncomfortably... And nervously? It was the first time I had seen anything other than cockiness or indifference on his face. _What could his power possibly be, to make him so nervous? Was it embarrassing... Or dangerous?_

"Can you do it out there?" Darwin asks, pointing outside the window.

"Just do it out there!" Mystique says.

"C'mon, just do it!" Everyone begs. "Alex! Alex! Alex!" They chant.

Alex's gaze passes over everyone's faces. When his gaze lands on mine, I look at him curiously. He raises a hand and sighs, getting to his feet. Everyone cheers.

"That's the spirit!" Darwin commends.

"Get down when I tell you." Alex's deep voice gives me chill bumps. We all follow closely behind him. He hops through the shattered window. We peek through.

"Get back." Alex orders. We back away. But a nanosecond later, Mystique makes a move for the window again, the others following. I stand towards the back of the group.

"Get _BACK_." Alex growls. No one moves. "Whatever." He mutters. As he starts swinging his body in a circular motion, rings of red energy form around him, almost like he's hula-hooping. He swings his body faster and faster, the energy building, small rings flying around him, until he releases it. A huge ring of red energy soars through the air, slicing the statue in half. Flames gently lap at the two smoking heaps of statue. 

I let out a soft gasp. "Woah." Alex's display of power was by far the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. The way the red light reflected off his blue eyes, the way the muscles in his arms rippled as he controlled the energy, the sheer power he exudes as he releases the rings. It's breathtaking. _He's_ breathtaking. I'm brought out of my thoughts as everyone bursts into cheers and applause. Alex just nods his head, breathing heavily.

Hank turns to me. Because he's so tall, he has to look down at me. "What about you, Y/N? What's your ability?"

Everyone's attention turns to me, including Alex's. I gulp, and take a step back reflexively. "I, uh..." My voice shakes. 

Hank squeezes my arm reassuringly. "Hey, it's okay. We're all different. No ones going to judge you."

I look at everyone's expressions. Everyone looked supportive.. Except Alex. Alex looked like he was glaring at Hank and I. I shrugged it off and sucked in a deep breath. "Pull the nozzle off the water cooler." I order.

Everyone exchanges glances before Darwin moves to the bar, following my instructions. 

"You guys are gonna wanna stand back." I warn. After Alex's display, everyone willingly obliges. Darwin stands in front of the water cooler. I get into my usual stance: right foot forward, knees slightly bent, and hands extended. I give Darwin a nod. Darwin snaps the nozzle off the cooler, letting the water gush out. But before the water hits the ground, it stops, floating in the air. I hear the others gasp. I manipulate the water, pulling it from the cooler. With smooth, fluid movements, I make the water swirl around my body in a smooth stream. 

"Woah!"

"Wow!"

"Holy crap!"

The other's positive reactions spur me on. With more arm movements I manipulate the stream of water, launching it out the window before making it burst into sheets of rain, dousing the flaming statue. Everyone is roaring in applause. I smile shyly.

"That was amazing, Y/N!" Mystique gushes. "What do you want to be called?"

I shrug slightly.

" _Ocea_." Someone speaks up. I turn to my left to see Alex leaning against the wall. He was the last person I expected to speak up. "We'll call you Ocea."

This time, I give a real smile. "I like it." I say, looking into his deep blue eyes. " _Ocea_."

"You know what this means? _Party!_ " Angel shouts. Her wings sprout from her back and she flies toward the stereo, flipping it on. Mystique laughs and jumps on the couch, starting to dance.

"Uh, I don't know if we should do this.." Hank shouts over the music.

"Oh, lighten up, Hank!" Angel says, dancing in mid air.

"Yeah, Hank! How many times are you going to be in a room surrounded by fellow mutants? Besides, we're the government now. _We can do what we want!_ " Mystique shouts.

The rest of us look at each other. Darwin shrugs. "Bet you can't hurt me when I'm made of rock." He taunts.

"You're on." Banshee bets. Letting out another shriek, he shatters a chair. Darwin quickly turns his body from the neck down into rock, as Banshee comes at him with the broken seat of the chair.

I couldn't help a chuckle escaping me. I use my powers to refill everyone's drinks. Then I jumped on the couch, dancing with Mystique.

"That's the spirit, Ocea!" Mystique cheers.

Alex takes another long swig of his drink, before grabbing a chair leg and joining Banshee in trying to beat Darwin up.

Hank quickly downs his drink before jumping up, hanging from the chandelier.

Soon, the room is complete chaos.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

"Harder! Harder!" Darwin shouts. 

" _What do you think you're doing?_ " Moira demands. 

We all jump, the "Mutant Party" as we dubbed it, came to a screeching halt. Mystique and I jumped off the couch, Angel landed, Alex and Banshee put down their broken chair pieces, Darwin turned back into flesh, and Hank jumped off the chandelier. 

"Who destroyed the statue?" Moira demanded. 

"It was Alex!" Hank said, quickly. 

I frowned at him. 

"No. Havok." Mystique corrected. "We have to call him Havok. That's his name now." 

_Havok. Perfect._ I thought. 

"And we were thinking you should be Professor X," Mystique pointed to Professor Xavier. "And _you_ should be Magneto." She pointed to Eric. 

"Exceptional.." Eric snarked, before walking away. Moira shook her head and followed. 

"I expect more from you." The Professor said, disappointedly. Then he too, left. 

"Well... That sucked." Banshee said. 

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I don't use language. If that bothers you guys, sorry. I'm taking language out, and adding more violence (cause that's how I roll). Anyways I'm not as pleased with the chapter, don't know why. Let me know what you guys think! The next will definitely be better! :D ~Kate


	3. The Invasion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Action! As promised. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So, this is the only chapter I plan on doing that has a segment from Alex's P.O.V. (Unless you guys really like it). I hope none of you guys are totally in love with Riptide (the mutant that makes tornados in the movie), because this story isn't very nice to him. :( Also, the reader experiences symptoms of a panic attack. Nothing explicit, but if some of you are really sensitive, you may not want to read. Enjoy! :)
> 
> Disclaimer: Don't own Marvel, X-Men, X-Men: First Class, or any of the characters.
> 
> Reader-insert Key: Y/N= Your first name.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

After the "incident," no one felt like going by their code names. Most of us sat on the couches after the room had been repaired and a new window brought in. The only exceptions were Alex and Darwin; they were using the arcade machine.

"Man, you are killing me!" Darwin exclaims.

"Ah, don't beat yourself up. I've had a lot of spare time." Alex replied.

On the side of the room with the couches, two CIA agents walk up to the large window. "Aw, I didn't know the circus was in town!" One of the agents said. "C'mon honey, give us a little-" he moved his hands in a flapping motion.

Angel rolled her eyes.

"No?" The agent asks. He turns to Hank. "C'mon, let's see the foot!"

Hank stands and walks towards the window.

"There it is! C'mon Big Foot! Let's go. C'mon! Hey!" The agent cheered.

Hank hit a button on the wall next to the window. He waved to the agents as curtains closed, blocking their view of us.

"They're just guys being stupid." Raven tried to assure us.

"Guys being stupid, I can handle. Okay?" Angel says. "I've handled that my whole life. But I'd rather a bunch of guys staring at me with my clothes _off_ , then the way these ones stare at me."

"At _us_." Raven corrects quietly.

Suddenly, there was a loud _thump_ coming from outside. It was soon followed by another. Something ominous was in the air. A lump forms in my stomach.

"What was that?" Darwin asks. "I don't know.. Something doesn't feel right."

_He feels it too._

He moves towards the window. Hesitantly, the rest of us follow. Darwin hits the button to open the curtains. At first, we didn't see anything; the agents were gone and it was quiet. The whole courtyard outside was deserted. We looked up at the night sky. Suddenly, a puff of red smoke appears, revealing two dark figures.

As soon as the words left his mouth, one of the figures drops. We watch as it hurtles towards the ground. With a sickening _crunch_ , it lands in front of the window. It was the head agent of the facility. Screams tore from our throats. We all stumble back from the window. Soon, multiple bodies are falling from the sky. Each time one hits, another scream of horror escapes one of our mouths.

Out of nowhere, agents swarm the courtyard. One of them bangs their fist on the window to get our attention. "Get back! Get back! _Do not leave that room!_ We are under attack!"

A puff of red smoke appears where the statue once stood, revealing a man with red skin. His black hair was slicked back and he was dressed in a suit. He also had a red tail with an odd diamond shape on the end. He raised his arms almost tauntingly.

"There! Look!" We screamed, pointing frantically. Terror coursed through my veins.

"Shoot! Shoot!" The agent ordered. As the other agents started firing, the red-skinned man vanished the way he appeared. I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist, pulling me behind the couch. I couldn't see who it was. The others were behind the couch as well. As soon as we ducked, bullets ricocheted into the window, shattering it. Raven screamed in fear.

The sound of thunder crashing made me jump. We all snapped our heads to look out the other window. A massive tornado was whipping across the grounds.

"No.. Anything but that!" I tremble. One of my biggest fears is tornados. I didn't have a traumatic experience to explain it, I just feared them. How easily entire _buildings_ can be destroyed by them. What they could do to a _person_ who was so unfortunate as to be sucked into one. The devastation and _terror_ they could induce... Outside the window, the red-skinned man continued to slaughter agents.

" _Stay here my butt!_ " Darwin hollers. He bolts for the door, the rest of us hot on his heels. Soldiers were at the end of the hall. They saw us coming.

"Stay back! Stay back!" They shouted at us.

"We can help!" Darwin yells back.

The soldiers hold us back as we desperately try to run past them. Suddenly, explosions wrack the building, knocking us off balence. I couldn't help the scream that tore from my throat as I stumble, nearly falling. Alex grabs my arms, steadying me. We quickly run back to the room-

Just in time to see the giant tornado coming straight for us. Through the other window, the red-skinned man was still brutally murdering agents. Our gazes were torn between the two windows.

An agent gets sucked into the tornado, then thrown through the window-

The red-skinned man slaughters the last agent-

The tornado is revealed to be a mutant-

And they're both headed right for us.

"No. _No, no, no, no, no!_ " I mumble, horror-filled eyes fixed on the mutant that can control tornados.

The sound of gunshots ring out from behind the closed door in front of us. "Wait! If you want the mutants, they're right through that door. Just let us _normal_ people go. We're no threat." Someone says. It's followed my a sickening _crack_ and a _thump_. The door opens to reveal a man in a metal helmet.

"Where's the telepath?" He asks.

"Not here." The red-skinned man replies.

"Too bad." There man with the helmet hums. "Well, at least I can take this silly thing off." He removed his helmet and runs a hand through his hair. "Good evening. My name is Sebastian Shaw. And I'm not. Here. To hurt you." He emphasized that last part.

"Freeze!" An agent shouts from the courtyard, his gun trained on Sebastian.

"Azazel!" Shaw calls.

The red-skinned man vanishes, then reappears behind the agent, stabbing him. Then he reappears back in the room.

_Azazel.. So that's his name._

"My friends, there's a revolution coming." Sebastian says, handing his helmet to the tornado mutant. "When mankind discovers _who we are._ What we can _do._ Each of us will face a choice: be enslaved, or rise up to rule. Choose freely. But know that if you are not with us, then by definition you are _against_ us."

The tornado mutant looks right at me. "Tornados aren't the only thing you should fear." His eyes scan my body, a dark smile on his face. "There are worse things I could do to you. Please, don't find out. Join us."

My breath hitches in fear. Alex stood on my right. He shifted his weight, partially blocking the tornado mutant's view of me. His arm moved almost imperceptibly, his hand twitching, so it was slightly in front of me.

Sebastian looked at each one of us in turn as he continued to speak. "So, you can stay. Fight for the people who _hate_ you, and _fear_ you. Or you can join me, and live like kings.." He looked directly at Angel. "And _queens_." He held out his hand.

Angel took it, letting Sebastian lead her towards the window.

"Angel.." Raven says.

"Are you kidding me?" Sean asks, incredulously.

Angel turns back to look at us, her eyes watery. "C'mon. We don't belong here.. And that's _nothing_ to be ashamed of."

Dawin held his hand out towards her, but Angel turns her back on him, climbing out the window with Sebastian.

"We have to do something." Raven says.

Darwin sighs, shoulders slumping for a moment. Then he pulls his shoulders back and stands determinedly. He turns to face Alex and tries to tug him towards the window. Alex angrily shoves him off. I resist the urge to hold Alex back, worried that a fight would break out between the two guys. But as Alex and Darwin stare each other down, an understanding passes between them. Sebastian, Angel, Azazel, and the tornado mutant hold hands, getting ready to teleport.

"Wait." Darwin calls, making his way towards Sebastian. "I'm coming with you."

Sebastian smiles. "Good choice. So tell me about _your_ mutation."

"Well, I adapt to survive," Dawin starts.

Alex slowly makes his way to the middle of the room and the rest of us follow. We all had a pretty good idea of what was about to go down.

"So I guess I'm coming with you." Darwin finishes.

"I like that." Sebastian says. He gestures for Darwin to join Angel, patting him on the back.

Darwin takes Angel's hand. "Alex." He calls.

" _Get down!_ " Alex shouts.

"Do it!" Darwin yells, shielding Angel's body with his own and turning to stone.

We all five to the side as Alex summons his energy rings. He lets three of them loose. But his look of triumph suddenly turns to one of astonishment. I quickly use my powers to make a puddle on the ground. The reflective surface acted as a mirror. We all watched in horror as Shaw absorbed Alex's energy rings into his body.

_Shouldn't he be dead?_

"Protecting your fellow mutants.. It's a noble gesture." Sebastian says. He rolls his shoulders and stretching his neck, as if absorbing energy rings was a mild workout. "Feels good."

Darwin tries to strike Sebastian, but Sebastian quickly blocks it. He roughly grabbed Darwin's chin. He whispered something to Darwin, before shoving a ball of Alex's energy down Darwin's throat. Then he grabs hands with Angel and Azazel, before disappearing in a cloud of red smoke. Everyone freezes in horror as we watch Darwin's glowing body. He turns to metal, and then to to stone. Slowly, the glow fades to solid rock. He looks towards Alex, extending a hand to him. His face morphs to flesh briefly, his gaze meets Alex's. Then his body started to glow again. The glow grew brighter and brighter. Then Darwin is nothing more than ash in the wind.

Alex's legs buckle and he falls to his knees, shoulders slumping in defeat. The look of anguish and shock on his face mirrors everyone else's. Slowly, I climb to my feet and tentatively walk towards Alex. I gently lay my hand on his should. He tenses, before roughly shaking me off. I step back quickly as Alex turns to us in rage.

"Why didn't any of you do anything?!" He demands, glaring at all of us. His eyes land on me. "What about you? _Huh?_ You control _water!_ Why didn't you put him out? You just let him be _killed!_ What good were you?! What good _are_ you?!" He shouts.

I flinch back as if he had burned me, tears filling my eyes. I could feel everyone's eyes on me. All the fear and terror from the attack, the grief from Angel's betrayal and Darwin's death, all the _rage_ radiating from Alex, hit me at once. My breath came out in short gasps. I couldn't breathe. I needed out. I needed to _get out._ I bolted for the door, not caring if any mutants were left. Not caring if I was killed. I just needed _out._ I ran down the hallway, around the corner, down another hallway, before coming to the destroyed remains of the the main lobby. I sat on the crumbling staircase and buried my face in my hands, letting the sobs overtake me.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

**Alex's P.O.V:**

_Dang it._ He cursed himself, watching you flee the room. Why did he have to take your emotions out on you? Maybe because you were the first to comfort him? He always portrayed himself as a "tough guy." One who could handle anything the world threw at him. Maybe he lashed out at you, because you were the first one to see through the act. Inside, he's _terrified._ What he just saw scared the _daylights_ out of him. _What that tornado freak threatened to do to you..._ But what was eating at him the most was _guilt._ It was his energy that killed Darwin. His powers. His _mutation._ So, he lashed out at the closest person. _That's what I do, right?_ He thinks bitterly. _Take out whatever is nearest to me._

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Hank's voice breaks the tense silence.

Alex glares at him.

"Do you know what happens to hot metal or molten rock when you apply cold water? It turns _solid!_ So unless you wanted a statue to replace the one _you_ destroyed, or some _sick_ monument for Darwin, there's nothing Y/N could have done! So if you have _any_ decency, or care about Darwin's memory _at all,_ you'll go apologize to Y/N right now!" By the time Hank finished, he was breathing heavily and everyone was looking at him in shock.

Alex continues to glare at Hank, but Hank holds his gaze. Slowly, Alex stands and heads out the door. But now before roughly knocking his shoulder against Hank's on the way out. After walking down the hall a ways, he hears sniffling. As he he gets closer, he hears the sound of someone crying softly.

 _Aw crap. Good going, Alex. You made her cry. She comforts you ,and you make her cry._

Y/N, or _Ocea,_ whichever she preferred, was huddled at the bottom of a crumbling staircase. Her face was buried in her hands, and her shoulders shook from crying. Alex sighs softly. The staircase was wide enough for him to sit next to her without crowding her. She felt a presence sit next to her and she tensed, but didn't look up.

"Hey." Alex says, softly.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

**Your P.O.V:**

I sigh, before quickly wiping the tears from my face. "Look," I say, my voice shaking. "I'm beating myself up enough as it is. I should have done something to help Darwin.. Or stop the tornado mutant.. _Something._ I get it. You don't have to make it any worse." I look down t my hands. They trembled.

"I came to apologize." Alex says. I froze, surprised that he would do that. "I.. shouldn't have taken my anger out on you... It wasn't your fault, and there's nothing you could have done.." His voice is soft and soothing.

I sniffle. "I really cared about him too, you know."

Alex sighs. "I know you did."

I angrily wipe away the tears that tried to form in my eyes. _It's bad enough Alex caught me blubbering like a baby once._ "It's not you fault either." I say, quietly.

Alex stiffens.

"You did everything you could to save him and Angel. I mean, it was Darwin's plan in the first place. We all knew there would be consequences. Take your own medicine; it's not your fault."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Alex hang his head and rake a hand through his hair. He sighs again. "Still doesn't change the fact he's gone." Alex mutters.

I nod. "He's gone." My eyes started to water again. I needed comfort. I didn't realize how desperately I needed it, until I realized I had laid my head on Alex's shoulder. I panicked, thinking he would shove me off again. But to my utter surprise and relief, Alex didn't. Instead, he wrapped an arm around me. That's when I let the tears fall again. I buried my face in his shoulder and cried.

And Alex let me.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

After I had calmed down, Alex suggested we head back to the room. I agreed. _Alex stood and extended a hand towards me, helping me up. Again to my surprise, he didn't let go. Instead, he continued holding my hand, leading me back towards the room. I was grateful. After everything that happened that night, I felt lost. But Alex kept me grounded. _I don't know what it is about him, but he makes me feel safe and secure.__

As we approached the door, he let go of my hand. I instantly missed the warmth. And how his hand fit perfectly around mine. He held the door open for me. I was slightly startled to see his eyes rimmed with red. I nodded my thanks before entering. As we entered the room, everyone's attention turned to us. I wrapped my arms around myself protectively, both from the attention and from the cold seeping in the room from the destroyed windows. As I looked at everyone, I noticed their eyes were red-rimmed as well. Raven was sitting on the couch, her eyes still wet from tears. I walk over and give her a hug. She squeezes me tightly. Alex and Hank exchange nods. I wasn't sure what that was about, but I shrugged it off. 

About two hours later, sirens could be heard in the distance. We cautiously make our way to the front of the building, just in time to see reinforcement agents heading for us. Help had arrived, but it was too late. 

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos, guys! You're awesome. Keep them coming and let me know what you think of this chapter! ~Kate


	4. A New Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos guys! It means a lot! I'm thinking of doing another chapter in Alex's P.O.V. What do you guys think?

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

We were all sitting on the stone benches in front of the building when the Professor, Eric, and Moira showed up.

"Raven!" Professor Xavier called. Raven quickly stood and embraced him. After they let go, the Professor turned to us. "We've made arrangements for all of you to be taken home immediately."

I stiffen next to Alex. I didn't want to go. Yes, I had the small apartment and library job to go back to, but I felt like this was my one shot at a safe place to stay. At the very least, it was the one shot I had at a place I was _accepted._

"We're not going home." Sean spoke up.

"What?" The Professor sounded confused.

"He's not going back to prison." Sean added, nodding his head to Alex.

I forgot for a moment that Alex had just gotten out of prison.

"He killed Darwin!" Alex exclaims.

"All the more reason for you to leave." The Professor replied. "This is over."

Raven meets his eyes. "Darwin's dead, Charles.. And we can't even bury him."

It's silent for a moment, each of us still grieving.

"We can avenge him." Eric speaks up. We all whip our heads to look at him.

"Eric. A word, please?" Professor Xavier asks, leading Eric a ways from us.

Alex and I exchange glances. _Avenge Darwin? I like the sound of that._

After a few moments, the Professor and Eric look back at us.

"We'll have to train.. _All_ of us. Yes?" The Professor asks.

"Yes." Alex, agrees excitedly.

I nod with a smile.

"Well we can't stay here." Hank says. "Even if they reopen the department, it's not safe. We've got nowhere to go."

"Yes we do." Professor Xavier assures.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

"This is yours?" Sean asks.

"No.. It's _ours._ " The Professor corrects.

We all look up at the huge, castle-like mansion in front of us. It was stunning.

"Honestly, Charles. I don't know how you survived, living in such hardship." Eric says, sarcastically.

"Well," Raven says, walking up to the Professor, who wraps an arm around her. "It was a hardship softened by _me._ " She grins as Professor Xavier presses a kiss to the side of her head. "C'mon! Time for the tour." She and the Professor lead the way inside the mansion.

"This is _sweet._ " I mumble to myself.

Alex chuckles. 

I blush, realizing he had heard me.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

Either Professor Xavier read my mind, or God has a sense of humor. It turns out Alex's room was right next to mine on the left. Sean's was directly across from me. That left Hank on Alex's left, and Raven across from Hank. Eric and Professor Xavier were staying in another hall. The rooms were spacious, and each one had its own bathroom, not to mention a lovely window seat.  
The first day at the mansion, everyone was settling in and unpacking their meager (if any) belongings. I only had my backpack that I packed from my apartment. Alex didn't have much else either, having just come from prison. But the Professor told us not to worry, and provided us with extra clothes. Where he got them from, no one knew. Possibly from one of the many rooms here. I spent the next day exploring. I walked through one door to find a massive library. I gasped in delight. 

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Someone asked, making me jump. 

I turn around to see Professor Xavier standing in the doorway behind me. 

"I'm sorry for intruding. I was curious." I apologize. 

"No need to worry." The Professor assures. "Do you enjoy reading?" 

"Yes. I love it." I reply, eagerly. 

"Ah. Explains why you worked in a library." He says with a smile. "Feel free to borrow any books you want. As long as you return them when you're done." He tapped his temple as if to say, _'I'll know if you don't.'_

"Thank you! And I promise." I say, gratefully. 

He smiles before taking his leave. I eagerly search the shelves, finding a few books to take back to my room. When I reach my door, I see Alex returning to his. 

"Hi." I say, shyly. After what went down at the CIA department, we hadn't really gotten a chance to talk. I realized I didn't really know a lot about Alex. Other than he comforted me when I really needed it. 

"Hey." He replied. 

"Have you gotten a chance to check this place out yet?" I ask. 

"Just came back, actually. The Professor has an awesome equipment room. Might use that for some training. What about you?" 

"I found the Professor's library. He let me borrow some books." I glance up at his face briefly, wondering how much I should share. But I really wanted to get close to someone, and for some reason, I felt a connection with Alex. "It may sound silly... But having books around.. It makes me feel more at home. Even though I've never really had one. I'm not even sure if I know what home means to be honest." I shift uncomfortably. _Maybe I shared too much._ "It's probably ridiculous." 

"It's not." He says, firmly. His comment surprises me. "Wanting to feel at home, when all you've done is run and hide... It's not ridiculous." 

I find myself getting lost in his deep blue eyes. I search their depths, not knowing what I was looking to discover. He opens his mouth, as if to say something else. My eyes drop to his lips and I- 

" _Dude!_ Have you _seen_ the kitchen? It's got _everything!_ " Sean walks up with an armload of soda and potato chips. 

I sigh quietly, while Alex rolls his eyes. "I'm gonna go take a shower." Alex grumbles. 

I swallow at his comment, watching his retreating back. _Nope. Stop that train of thought right there._ I mentally scold myself. 

"What's his problem?" Sean asks. 

I shrug. "No clue." I grab one of the bags of potato chips. "Thanks for the food, _Banshee._ " With that, I waltz into my room, closing the door. 

A muffled, "You're welcome!" comes from the other side. I could hear Sean grumbling as he went into his own room. 

I chuckled. 

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

Day three, the Professor asks us if we're ready to start training. We all agree. First order of business, the Professor distributes workout clothes to everyone. He hands me a slim-fit tank top, track pants, and a simple pair of trainers. I throw them on in my room and put my curly hair in a loose braid. When we're all dressed, we meet back in the sitting room. I sat on the couch.  
Alex walked in wearing sweat pants and a sleeveless hoodie that showed off his arms. I didn't realize how _built_ Alex actually was. Until now. I quickly looked away, hoping no one caught me staring. But when the Professor met my eyes, I knew I was, indeed, caught. I blushed furiously. He _was_ a telepath, after all. I looked down, so the blush wasn't obvious. Someone sat next to me on the couch. 

"You okay?" Raven asks. She was in her natural blue form. 

"Y-Yeah. Fine." I smile awkwardly. I was trying not to steal glances at Alex, but it was hard not to. 

"Oh, I get it." Raven says, a smile in her voice. 

I quickly turn my head to look at her. "What?" I ask. 

She nods her head at Alex, then winks at me. 

My cheeks started burning again. I knew there was no use lying. "Don't say anything." I moan. I made sure to keep my voice down, so the others didn't hear. 

"I don't know.. It's a pretty juicy secret." She smirks. 

"Tell anyone about this and I'll tell Charles you have a thing for Hank." I threaten. 

She bumps my shoulder playfully. "Alright, alright. I won't say anything. You have my word. Pinky swear?" 

I grin and lock pinkies with her. 

The first one up for training was Eric. Next was Alex. Oddly enough, it was only twenty minutes after Professor Xavier and Alex left, that the Professor came back covered in soot and carrying a bucket full of water. 

"Y/N, I have your first exercise." He said, a little anxiously. 

"Now? What about Alex?" I asked, confused. 

"Think of it as multitasking." Then he was out the door. I quickly followed behind him. 

He led me outside and down a set of stone steps to a bunker. Inside stood Alex, surrounded by fire. 

" _Oh._ " I breathe, looking around. While Alex looked slightly embarrassed by the destruction around him, I thought he looked _magnificent._ The flames licking the walls and floor brought out the golden blonde of his hair, and the deep blue of his eyes. His skin was slightly damp with perspiration from the heat of the flames. His breathing was a little heavy, no doubt from the power he had to exert to cause this. He was amazing. 

" _Right_!" The Professor claps his hands together. "So, first exercise for you, Y/N; douse the flames. It seems the simple fire-extinguisher won't do the job." 

I try not to chuckle at Alex's expense. "Okay." I say, getting in my stance. I take a deep breath, before moving my arms in upward movements, pulling the water out of the bucket. I manipulate the water into one smooth stream again. Swirling it around my body, I go about dousing the flames. Because the fire is everywhere, I know a simple rain won't cut it. So I manipulate the stream around the bunker, running it over the flames, dousing them. Soon, all the fires are extinguished. I manipulate the water back into the bucket. 

The Professor claps. "Very good, Y/N!" 

I smile. 

"Tell me, have you ever tried to manipulate a bigger body of water? Or seen if you had any other abilities like breathing underwater?" He asks. 

I shift uncomfortably. "No to the first. And I know I can't breathe underwater." I avoid looking at the Professor and Alex before making my next statement. "I almost drowned when I was little. It's not an experience I want to relive." 

Professor Xavier nods sympathetically. "Alright. We'll work on controlling a bigger body of water, and see just how powerful you really are. Now as far as the movements you make when you control the water, it's very reminiscent of the martial art form of Tai Chi. Ever heard of it?" 

"Not really." I shrug. 

"I have a few books on the art that might help you have more precise control over the water. Not only is it about movement, but it's also about calming you body and breathing. It aught to be very beneficial for you. As for you, Alex, we'll work on helping you control your energy blasts. You're both dismissed for the day." 

Alex and I nod, both of us taking our leave. 

"It's a lot cooler out here." Alex comments, once we are in the fresh air. 

I felt a burst of boldness. "Are you trying to tell me you're hot?" I tease. 

I could've sworn his cheeks turned pink. "No. But if you're saying I'm hot, I won't argue with you." He smirks. 

I laugh, bumping my shoulder against him. "In your dreams." 

We're both still chuckling when we reach the sitting room. The others look at us curiously. Sean raises an eyebrow. 

"How'd training go?" Raven asks, once again in her human-looking form. 

"Fine." Alex and I say in unison. 

"We're done for the day." I added. 

"What? How much work could you possibly have done to already be finished?" Sean asks incredulously. 

"I blew something up." Alex replies, nonchalantly. 

"I put out a fire inside of a nuclear war bunker." I say in a bored tone, looking at my nails. 

" _Daaang._ " Sean whistles. 

"Sean, you're up!" The Professor calls. 

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

Eric, Raven, Alex, and I were looking out of a window. I was leaning over Alex's back in order to see. Having Alex so close to me made it a little hard to focus. He still smelled like smoke and sulfur from his training exercise earlier, like fireworks on the Fourth of July and New Years. A scent that was specifically _Alex._

Professor Xavier's voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Now remember, scream as hard as you can." He instructed. 

Sean sat on the edge of the window next to ours, wearing his wing-like gliders. The Professor and Hank stood on either side of him. 

"You need the sound waves to be supersonic. Catch them at the right angle, and they should carry you." Hank tries to assure Sean. 

Sean gives Hank a look. "They _should_ carry me. That's reassuring." He says, sarcastically. 

The Professor and Hank back away from the window. Sean looks down, before crossing himself nervously. 

"And don't forget to scream!" The Professor reminds. 

Alex glances at Eric, smirking. 

Sean raises his arms, extending the gliders. After taking another quick glance back at Hank and Professor Xavier, Sean pushes off- 

And let's out a pathetic scream, falling in the bushes. 

I couldn't hold in the laugh that bubbled up in my throat. Soon, I was laughing hysterically. I heard Raven join in, and so did Alex. Even Eric chuckled. I instantly loved Alex's laugh. It was deep and infectious. We both ended up laughing so hard we were in tears on the floor. 

"Oh my gosh, that was the funniest thing I've ever seen." I gasp, trying to regain composure. 

"He didn't really live up the the name 'Banshee' now did he?" Alex chuckles. 

"Oh, that was sad!" I giggle. 

Sean's attempt at flying ended his training for the day. 

Next was Hank. We stood at the front entrance, watching as the Professor and Hank took a lap around the mansion. When they finished, the Professor had Hank take off his shoes and socks. As soon as they started running again, Hank darted around the mansion. By the time the Professor was halfway to the finish line, Hank had already made a complete lap, tapping the Professor on the shoulder and startling him. 

Alex started walking towards them. I followed, curious to what he was doing. I knew if Alex was going to make a comment to Hank, it wouldn't be good. 

"Impressive, Hank." Alex says. Hank smiles shyly at the compliment. "With feet like those, all you need is a red nose. Right, Bozo?" Alex pats Hank on the arm. 

Hank's smile drops. "I'm done here." He says, effectively ending his training, and stalks away. 

"Thank you, Alex." The Professor dead pans. "But completely unnecessary." 

As the Professor walks away, Alex turns back to the mansion, looking pleased with himself. He notices me watching him. I sigh and roll my eyes, before heading back to the the mansion. 

Alex jogs to catch up with me. "What?" He asks. 

"Alex.. We get put down by humans enough as it is. We don't need mutants putting each other down." 

"It was just harmless teasing. Like we did when Sean blew his test run." Alex says defensively. 

I stop in my tracks, staring into his eyes. "No. You're making hurtful comments. _Yes,_ Sean failed. _Yes,_ we laughed. But Hank did _good._ His self-esteem is low enough as it is. Try some encouragement for once. You didn't see me calling you hurtful names when you blew up the bunker!" With that, I stalked back to the mansion, leaving Alex alone. 

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know if you want another segment from Alex's P.O.V! ~Kate


	5. Of Flames and Streams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More training. Some fluff at the end. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy! Thanks for the kudos!

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

Day two of training, we were back in the sitting room. I avoided Alex. I was still annoyed with him.

"Trouble in paradise?" Raven asks.

I sigh. "Like we were _'paradise'_ to begin with." I mutter. "Alex was just being a jerk to Hank again. I told him off. End of story."

"Wow." She said. "Didn't know you had it in you."

"He ticked me off." I mumbled.

Raven just chuckled.

The Professor entered the room. "Alex, Hank designed something that I think might help you control your powers." He said. He turned to me. "Y/N, I'd like you on hand, just in case we have trouble putting the fires out again."

Sean snickers. 

I give a nod, and follow them down to the bunker. Once there, Hank pulls out a blue vest with a large, gold metal disc in the middle. Hank and the Professor strap the vest on Alex.

"Sexy." Alex says, sarcastically. 

I smirk at him. Here's your just desserts, Alex.

"Well, this is just the prototype. The real one will look considerably better, it'll be a whole suit! See, these sensors measure your energy output, this panel focuses it, and the excess is absorbed." Hank explains.

The Professor nods towards the three mannequins at the end of the bunker. "Alright. Try hitting the one in the middle. _Just_ the one in the middle, mind." He pats Alex on the arm. "Good luck."

I nod at Alex, before following the Professor and Hank out the door. When the light on the outside of the bunker door turns red, we enter.

We both look around in shock. All the mannequins, (except the one in the middle), are destroyed and Alex is sprawled flat on his back, groaning. The whole thing made a pretty hysterical picture.  
I laughed.  
The Professor sighed.  
And Hank shook his head.

"Y/N, could you please?" Professor Xavier asks.

I nod. I had read up on the Tai Chi the Professor had mentioned, and I was eager to put it into practice. Getting into my stance and focusing on my breathing, I gracefully pulled the water from the bucket and began dousing fires. Instead of just using my arms, I incorporated my whole body in the movement. When the fires were out, I put the water back in the bucket.

"Very good. Much more graceful, Y/N." The Professor praises. "We'll have to work more on your control, Alex. Get you used to the vest. I suggest getting some rest, for now." Then he and Hank left.

I smirked down at Alex, who was still lying on the floor. "We gotta stop meeting like this. Me, cleaning up your messes." I chuckle, before walking away. 

Alex just groans in response.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

Training day four, I was taking a stroll along the mansion grounds when I hear what sounds like Banshee's scream in the distance. I look towards the satellite and my jaw drops. Sean was _flying._

"Well I'll be." I breathe. "He did it."

Later that day, the Professor called me for my session. "Now, have you ever tried controlling more than one stream of water at a time?" He asks.

"No." I reply.

A little while later, I was able to control two streams at a time.

"Alright, Y/N. Now converge both streams into one." Professor Xavier instructs.

I easily do as he asks.

"Think fast!" The Professor yells. I turn to see him throw another bucket of water in the air. I quickly throw an arm out, catching it. I gasp, looking at both large streams of water I'm somehow managing to hold.

"Very, very good, Y/N. Your reflexes and concentration are improving."

A sudden high-pitched shriek makes me jump, dropping the water. It splatters on the concrete.

"I think her concentration still needs a little work." Sean says, looking pleased with himself.

I glare at him. "You know, Professor. There's something I've always wanted to try."

The Professor smiles slightly at me. No doubt he read my mind and knows what I'm planning. "And what is that?"

I concentrate on pulling the water up, and out of the concrete. After a minute of focusing on my breathing, the water begins to rise, forming a large stream. "This." I grin. I turn towards Sean, holding the stream of water above my head.

"Oh crap!" Sean says, taking off in a run.

I chuckle, launching a small stream at Sean. Right before it was about to hit, he shrieked, taking off in the air. Then it became a game. Me firing streams of water as he tried to dodge them in the air. I won, nailing Sean in the face. He splutters, falling through the air. At the last second, he lets out a shriek, landing on his feet.

"Not cool, man." He complained.

I just laughed.

Alex was next. Once again, I was present. Just in case. The Professor and Hank set up a single mannequin with an X painted on its stomach.

"Wonderful work, Hank. Okay, thank you very much." The Professor says. "Alright, Alex. I want you to hit the X, and try not to hit me. There's a good chap."

My jaw drops. Alex looks at the Professor in shock.

"You're _serious?_ " Alex exclaims.

Hank looks horrified.

"I'm _very_ serious." The Professor assures. "I have complete, and utter faith in you."

The Professor and Hank stand on either side of the mannequin, Hank looking extremely nervous. I make sure to stand behind Alex. "You can do this, Alex." I whisper quietly.

Alex spread his arms, muscles rippling, letting the energy build. With a flex of his powerful shoulders, he releases a blast, demolishing the mannequin. The Professor and Hank quickly move out of the way as the flames flare up. Alex throws his arms out and laughs. I let out a cheer, happy for him. The Professor and Hank both look at him with pleased expressions, Alex and Professor Xavier exchange nods. Alex then turns to me, and in the spur of the moment, I threw my arms around him. He laughed and spun me around.

"Am I still a Bozo?" Hank calls, a smile on his face.

Alex sets me down and looks at him. " _Yes,_ Hank. You're still a Bozo."

Hank's expression drops.

"But nice job." Alex adds.

Hank smiles again and nods, a look of pride on his face.

I smiled up at Alex.

And he smiled back.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Review!!!


	6. A Necessary Push?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter, but delivers on the action!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy!

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

Day five of training found me, the Professor, Eric, and the rest of the group at a lake. There was a tall platform, which the Professor, Eric, Alex, and I stood on. The rest of the group stood at the bottom. I looked over the edge of the platform and gulped. I wasn't very fond of heights.

"Alright, Y/N." The Professor said. "I want you to make a jet of water come up to the platform. Make it solid enough for you to stand on."

I glanced at the distance from the platform to the water. "I'm not sure I can make that big of a jet, and even if I _could,_ I couldn't make it solid enough to stand on!" I panicked just thinking about stepping off the platform onto a jet. If it didn't hold me, it would be a long way down.

"Alright, alright." The Professor soothes, sensing my distress. "What if we go down, and you try to make an air bubble around yourself, so you can breathe underwater? Just like we did with the ball."

Yesterday, Professor Xavier had me make an air bubble around a soccer ball. I did it, keeping it completely dry even though it was underwater. I shake my head.

"No. What if I fail? I could drown!"

"We wouldn't let that happen." The Professor assures.

Alex places a gentle hand on my arm.

"I can't. I'm sorry." I say.

"Oh for goodness sake, not again." Eric groans. 

Before I can ask what he meant, he shoves me off the platform. Alex's reassuring hand is replaced by the whipping wind. I scream as I tumble through the air. 

_"Y/N!"_ Alex screams.

My stomach is in my throat. The wind is tearing at my clothes, and I lose all sense of direction. Then I hit the water with _SPLASH,_ and a shock of cold. I sink down, down, down. I thrash around underwater. I can't tell which way is up. I begin to panic. _It's happening again. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I'm gonna drown!_ My lungs began to burn with the need for oxygen. I thrash harder.

 ** _'Y/N, calm your mind.'_** A voice says in my head. **_'Make an air bubble and focus on your breathing.'_** The only person who could speak in my mind was the Professor.

 _'I can't!'_ I replied desperately, continuing to thrash.

**_'Think about what makes you happy, what makes you feel safe!'_ **

Instantly, thoughts of Alex flood my mind. 

_Him naming me Ocea._

_When he stepped between me and the tornado mutant._

_Comforting me after Darwin died._

_Us laughing together._

_Me hugging him._

It all hit me in a rush. I stopped thrashing. Drawing on the power inside me, I swirled my arms around me, making an air bubble and instantly drying my clothes. I sucked in deep, gasping breaths. Once I calmed my breathing, I swirled the water around me, forcing it to propel me upwards. With an almighty blast, I burst through the surface of the lake, wrapped in my own personal funnel of water. I let the funnel build, continuing my ascent. Hank, Raven, and Sean, who were standing on the ground, looked at me in shock as I rose higher and higher. Soon, I was level with the platform. Professor Xavier looked at me with pride. Eric looked pleased, if not with himself. And Alex had a look of pure awe on his face. I felt my cheeks burn slightly.

"Nicely done. I knew you had it in you." Eric smirked.

I glared at him and sent a jet of water straight for his face. He spluttered and stumbled back, catching himself on the railing.

"Okay, I deserved that." He amended.

I carefully step out of the funnel and onto the platform, letting the water drop back into the lake with a huge _KER-SPLASH!_

"There's not a drop of water on you." Alex breathes, gently running a hand down my arm. I hoped he didn't notice me shiver at his touch through the sleeve of my hoodie.

"You see how powerful you can be, when you focus your mind on what's important." The Professor says, tapping the side of his temple.

I blushed and nodded. 

**_'As long as you focus on what's good in your life, your power will be unmatched.'_** The Professor says in my mind.

" _Holy. Freaking. Cow._ Y/N! That was awesome!" Sean yells, as we reach the bottom of the platform.

"That was amazing!" Raven cheers.

"Fantastic!" Hank agrees.

"Thanks, guys." I say, genuinely.

"Good work, all of you. I think that completes your training for today. Eric and I will be working on our abilities, so you are free to do what you wish." The Professor says. He starts to walk away, but turns back a second later. _"Within reason."_ He adds.

We all nod.

"So," Sean turns to me. "He pushed you off too?" He nods his head towards Eric.

I look at Eric in shock.

Eric just gives a shrug. "Neither of you would jump."

I bristled. _How dare he risk both of our lives! He could have killed us!_ I lunged for him.

Suddenly, hands grip my shoulders, pulling me back into a strong chest. "Calm down, Y/N. He's not worth it." Alex whispers in my ear.

Chills ran down my spine at the proximity of Alex's body to mine, and his breath tickling my ear. I was still trembling in rage, but I relaxed against him as Eric walked away. Alex's grip lessened, letting his hands rest comfortably on my shoulders. I let out a shuddering breath. I didn't want to admit how bad the experience in the lake had scared me.

"He's not worth it.." Alex repeated softly. 

I could've sworn I felt his thumbs rubbing soothing circles on my shoulders.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REVIEW!!!


	7. Suit Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This sets up the battle, so it's kind of short. The next few chapters will make up for it!

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

 

After the President's address, and our subsequent assignment, we headed to our rooms.

"You nervous about tomorrow?" Alex asks me, as we stand right outside our rooms.

I considered lying, but not seeing a point in it, I nod. "After seeing what Sebastian and the other mutants can do? Yeah.. Are you?"

He nods. "We'll be fine, though." He tries to say, confidently.

"Will we really?" I ask softly.

Alex doesn't reply.

"You know.. This life or death thing really does make you think about what's important. And that you should always say what's in your heart. Cause you may not get the chance to say what you really mean." I glance up to see him looking at me with an intense expression.

_How could it be so easy to get lost in someone's eyes?_

Alex starts to speak. "Y/N... I.."

"Goodnight, guys!" Hank calls from down the hallway.

Alex's mouth immediately snaps closed, his eyes closing in frustration. I bit back a groan. _Is there no privacy here?!_

"Goodnight, Hank." I say, tersely.

The moment was obviously dead. 

"Well, I guess this is goodnight." Alex says.

_Why can't you just say what you really want to say, Alex?_

"Goodnight, Alex." I whisper. And, knowing we could very well die tomorrow, I rise on the tips of my toes and kiss his cheek gently. I quickly dash into my room and close the door, not bothering to see his reaction.

As tears form in my eyes, I think, _'At least I said what I really meant.'_

Despite Eric's advice earlier, I didn't get a good night's sleep. Nightmares plagued my dreams.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

The next morning, Professor Xavier calls us to the lab. Alex seemed really distant towards me. _Well, that answers my question on what his feelings are._ It hit me last night. Or, more like I finally admitted it to myself. I had strong feelings for Alex. I just wasn't sure how deep those feeling went. But since he wouldn't hardly look at me since I kissed him (well, his _cheek_ ), I assumed he didn't reciprocate them. When we reached the lab door, we saw a note taped to the front:

**'Gone to the airbase, bring the crate marked X.  
Hank.'**

The Professor took the note down, opening the door. Inside was utter destruction. It looked like a bomb went off. Large equipment pieces were destroyed, work tables were overthrown, beakers and vials smashed, and papers were scattered on the floor.

"What happened in here?" Eric asks.

The Professor doesn't answer. I doubt he knew.

At the back of the room was a metal box marked, "X." Professor Xavier opens it.

"Hank _has_ been busy." Eric observes.

Inside were some very.. _Interesting_ suits.

"Do we really have to wear these?" Alex asks, with dread.

"There's none of us mutated to endure extreme GeForce or riddled by bullets. I suggest we suit up." The Professor replies, slamming the lid shut.

_Splendid._

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

We arrive at the airbase, decked out in our new, very _yellow,_ suits. Each suit was slightly different, tailoring to our needs. At first we were a little confused on whose was whose. But then the Professor found names engraved on the inside of the collars. 

_"Ocea!"_ Alex calls. I look up and he tosses me a suit. I was surprised he addressed me in general, much less by the code name he gave me. "I didn't need to read the name to figure out that was yours." He said.

I looked down at the suit and saw that he was right. When the suit caught the light, tiny silver wave patterns appeared. I smiled. Hank definitely got it right. I nodded my thanks to Alex. _Maybe we're okay after all.. Not great, but okay._

I looked at the others' suits. I noticed Alex's had a much sleeker version of the metal plate, this time silver, made into his.

"Where's Hank?" Raven asks. We all turn our heads to look at her, no doubt wondering the same thing.

"I'm here." Hank's voice echoes throughout the hangar. We see him approaching from a ways off. But as he draws closer, we notice his outline is different.

"Hank?" The Professor asks, worriedly. 

As we get a good look at him, I gasp softly. He's blue.. And _furry._ Not to mention twice his normal size.

"It didn't attack the cells.. It enhanced them." He looks down. "It didn't work."

"Yes. It did, Hank." Raven says. "Don't you see? _This_ is who you're meant to be." She places a hand on his cheek. "This is _you._ No more hiding."

"Never looked better, man." Eric says, lightly slapping Hank on the arm.

Fast as lightening, Hank's hand wraps around Eric's throat, choking him. I jumped in fright. 

"Hank." Professor Xavier cautions.

Hank lets out an animalistic snarl. _"Don't_ mock me."

"Hank, put him down immediately." The Professor orders. "Hank. Hank!"

Finally, Hank lets go of Eric, who falls on one knee.

"I wasn't." Eric gasps out, trying to assure Hank.

"Even _I_ gotta admit you look pretty epic." Alex joins in. "I think I got a new name for you.. Beast."

Hank/Beast grunts, seemingly pleased with the name.

And just like that, we're back to using our code names.

"You sure you can fly this thing?" Banshee asks.

"Course I can." Beast replies. _"I designed it."_

"Let's get this show on the road, then." I say. "Nothing I love more than heights." I shoot a glare at Eric, before boarding the jet.

 _"Feisty."_ I hear Banshee mumble.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, Kudos and comments are much appreciated! :D


	8. The Battle Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter, as promised! Hope you enjoy!

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

"Looks pretty nasty out there." Beast announces.

Mystique grabs the straps of her seat reflexively.

Professor Xavier presses his fingertips to his temple and closes his eyes, using his powers to infiltrate the small Russian ship. He opens his eyes a second later. "The crew of the Aero-Sea are all dead. Shaw's been there."

"He's still here.. Somewhere." Eric assures.

"They've set the ship for the Embargo Line." Professor Xavier annouces.

"If that ship crosses the line, our boys are gonna blow it up." Moira warns. "And the war begins."

"Unless they're _not_ our boys." The Professor replies.

We all look at him curiously.

He puts his fingers to his temple and closes his eyes again, concentrating.

Suddenly, a Russian nuke appears in the window of the jet; heading right for us.

"Hang on!" Beast yells. He sends the jet into a barrel roll, narrowly avoiding the missile. As the whole jet rolls, Mystique shrieks and we all hang on for dear life.

"Okay," I say, as Beast levels the plane. "That was kinda awesome. Free roller coaster ride."

Alex shoots me a grin.

"A little warning next time, Professor?" Beast asks from the cockpit.

"Sorry about that." Professor Xavier apologizes. He looks at Banshee.

_Wow, I don't think the poor kid is breathing._

"You all right?" The Professor asks him.

"Yeah." Banshee chokes out.

"That was inspired, Charles." Moira commends.

It really was, getting the Russians to fire on their own ship.

"Thank you very much. But I still can't locate Shaw." The Professor replies.

"He's down there. We need to find him, now!" Eric was getting antsy.

"Hank?" The Professor asks.

"Is there anything unusual on the radar or scanners?"

"No. Nothing." Moira replies.

"Well, then he must be underwater." Beast concludes. "And obviously, we don't have sonar."

 _Sonar._ I look at Banshee. Realization dawns on his face.

"Yes we do." He says confidently.

Professor Xavier turns to him. "Yes we do." He agrees, catching on.

The Professor, Eric, and Banshee quickly take off their headsets and seatbelts. Then they made their way to the hangar door.

However, it was hard for them to get to the door when the jet was practically sideways.

"Hank! _Level the bloody plane!"_ The Professor orders.

Beast yanks on the controls hard, managing to level out the plane. Eric makes a move to stand next to Banshee and the Professor, but Banshee quickly puts a hand out.

 _"Woah._ You back right off!" Banshee orders.

Eric puts his hands up in a placating gesture, standing a ways back.

"Good call!" I yell to Banshee, smirking.

He smirks back. "Beast! Open the bomb-bay door!"

Beast obliges, hitting the button that opened the door.

"Remember!" The Professor shouted over the howling wind. He placed his hand over Banshee's throat. "This is a muscle! _You can control it!_ You'll be in here the entire time!" The Professor points to his temple. "Y/N will make an air bubble around you so you can breathe. Right, Y/N?"

I nod.

"We'll see you soon! On my mark!" The Professor calls out. "Three, two, one. Go!"

 _"WHOO!"_ Banshee yells, as he steps off the jet.

He dropped down to the ocean below.

After a minute, the Professor gives me a nod. That was my signal that Banshee was underwater. I began moving my arms in circular motions and focused on Banshee; forming an air bubble around his head. I went faster and faster before freezing. I could practically feel the air bubble in my hands. To the others, it looked like I was holding an invisible basketball.

With two fingers on his temple, the Professor communicated with Banshee.

Moira spoke into a radio. "Alert the fleet. They may want to take their cans off."

Something pulsed inside the air bubble, breaking it. I knew Banshee had just used his powers. I quickly reformed the air bubble so he could breathe again.

"Banshee's got a location on Shaw." The Professor announces.

Eric springs into action.

"Ocea, keep the air bubble up." Professor Xavier instructs.

I nod in response.

The Professor makes his way to Eric. "You ready for this?" He asks.

"Let's find out." Eric responds.

Beast turns the jet around while I focus on holding the air bubble for Banshee.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

I was so focused on my breathing and maintaining the air bubble, I didn't know what was going on until everyone gasped in shock.

Quickly looking out the window, I saw Shaw's submarine _floating in the air._

_Eric is so much more powerful than we thought._

Beast set our course for the island, with Eric– no, _Magneto–_ carrying the submarine beside us.

I let out a gleeful laugh. _Maybe things are looking up._

 _"Eric!_ Take my hand!" The Professor suddenly shouts.

We quickly look out the window to see a massive tornado heading right for us.

"Oh my gosh." I gasp.

"Hang on, guys! It's going to get bumpy." Beast warns.

Suddenly, the whole jet shudders. We were caught in the tornado. Everyone quickly grabs something to hold on to– but I couldn't. I couldn't release the air bubble and let Banshee drown.

"Eric! _Take my hand!"_ Professor X yells again.

Alarms start going off inside the jet as we lose a wing. The ship starts to spin as we are thrown around the funnel cloud. Professor X manages to grab Magneto's hand and pull him back in, as Beast tries desperately to control our descent– but it's no use. We slam into the ground with an almighty _CRASH!_ The impact causes my head to hit the headrest with a sickening _crack!_ Horrible, throbbing pain shoots through my head. We tumble over and over. Everything sounds far away except for a loud ringing in my ears. I don't even notice that I'm no longer holding the air bubble. I'm too dazed to be aware of anything.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

I'm not sure how much time has passed, when I distantly hear someone calling my name. My vision is extremely blurry. I groan, before trying to focus. When everything clears, I see Alex in front of me. _Wait, why is he upside down?_ Then I realized I was the one upside down.

 _"I gotta get you down."_ He said. His voice sounded like it was a long way off.

I nod, but instantly regret it as another spike of pain pierces my head. I wince.

Alex gently released my belt buckle and eased me down, so I didn't hit my head. My hearing was finally coming back.

"You alright?" He asks, his voice sounding normal.

"Yeah." I croak. "You?"

"A little nauseous. But I'll live." He smirks.

I smile back weakly. Then my eyes widened in horror. "Sean!" I yell, quickly sitting up. My vision swims.

"It's alright, Y/N. He's fine." Professor X assures. "Though he is getting tired of treading water."

I smile, relieved. Alex helps me stand up. I blink away the black spots and focus. Swirling my arms, I make a small funnel of water under Sean's feet, keeping his head above water. "He shouldn't have to worry about treading now." I say.

Alex pats me on the shoulder and Professor X gives me a nod.

The Professor makes his way to a hole in the jet. "I read the teleporter's mind. Shaw is drawing all the power out of his sub. He's turning himself into some sort of nuclear bomb."

"We got no time. The Geiger count is going out of control." Moira says.

"Alright Moira, here's what we're going to do. Get on the radio and tell them to get both fleets out immediately." Professor X instructs.

"I'm going in." Magneto announces.

"Beast, Havok, back him up. Eric, I can guide you through once you're in. But I _need_ you to shut down whatever it is that's blocking me. Then we just hope to God that it's not too late for me to stop him."

"Got it." Magneto says, taking off.

"Good luck!" The Professor adds.

 _"Havok!"_ I call, before Alex leaves. He turns to me. _"Please_ be careful."

He nods. "I will. Promise." With a small smile, he's gone.

I take a shuddering breath. _I'll hold you to it, Alex._

Mystique tries to follow them.

"Raven, _stop!"_ Professor X orders.

"I'm going to help them!" She says.

"We don't have time for this. Anything comes in that entrance, you're taking care of it, yes?" The Professor asks.

"Fine." Mystique grumbles. Her angry glare settles on me. I meet her gaze, before looking down sadly, still holding the funnel for Banshee. I had to agree with Raven. I'd much rather be out there helping Alex. Especially against the tornado mutant, whose name I found out was Riptide. While I feared what he could do.. _If he so much as touches Alex, much less hurts him, I won't hesitate to rip him apart._ But I trusted the Professor's orders. I nod at Mystique in understanding. She sighs and nods back, resigned.

We watched as Magneto, Beast, and Havok faced off with Angel, Azazel, and Riptide. Havok makes the first move. He sends a blast of red energy straight into Riptide, slamming him into the side of the submarine. I couldn't help the swell of pride. _You go, Alex._

The battle begins. Azazel suddenly appears behind Alex, about to stab him with his sword. Beast quickly turns around, blocking the attack. With Beast gripping Azazel's sword, Azazel wraps his tail around Alex's throat, and all three disappear in a puff of red smoke.

 _"Alex!"_ I scream, terror coursing through me. It took everything in my power not to leave Banshee on his own and take off after Havok. But I couldn't do that. Leaving one mutant to die for the sake of another.. _I wouldn't be any better than Shaw._

_God, please let Alex be okay. I prayed._

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really want your feedback on this, guys. Let me know what you thought! Kudos! Comments! The works! :D 
> 
> ~Kate


	9. Stick The Landing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another action chapter. Whoop-Whoop!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback let's me know you like my writing. Not to mention it gives me tons of inspiration! So, comment! Follow! Kudos! Whatever! It all gives me butterflies and stuff. :D

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

"We believe Shaw is trying to detonate some kind of bomb." Moira reports through a headset.

I watched as Magneto used his powers to rip out a section of the submarine, squashing Riptide into the sand. Magneto bolts inside the submarine.

_Well done._

"Eric, make for the middle of the vessel." The Professor says, projecting his voice into Magneto's mind. "That's the point my mind can't penetrate. We have to assume that's where Shaw is."

With Eric inside the submarine, it was just Raven, Moira, the Professor, and I. There was still no sign of Beast or Havok.

"That's the nuclear reactor." The Professor says, still communicating with Magneto. "Disable it."

A few moments later, I hear Banshee's shriek in the distance.

"Ocea." The Professor suddenly addresses me. "Sean just rescued Havok. You can release the funnel."

I nod, smiling in relief. _Sean rescued Alex. Good._ I dropped my arms. A wave of dizziness washes over me and I steady myself against the side of the jet. I gently touch the back of my head where it still throbbed. I hissed and quickly pulled my hand away. Blood coated my fingers. I quickly wiped it on my suit pants before anyone could notice.

 ** _'We're getting that checked out as soon as we get back.'_** Professor X said in my mind.

I didn't bother arguing. _Yes, Professor._

"Eric, you're there. You've reached the void." The Professor says. There's a pause, before he takes off across the ship. "What? He's got to be there. He has to be!" The Professor exclaimed. "There's no where else he can be. Keep looking."

_What is going on? They can't find Shaw?_

"Eric? Eric?" Professor X calls. He turns to us. "He's gone."

"What?" Moira asks.

"He's gone into the void. I _can't_ communicate with him there." The Professor stalks to the other side of the jet.

"Is there anything we can do?" Mystique asks.

"Get Eric some common sense!" Professor X snaps.

Mystique and I exchange shocked looks.

_The Professor has never snapped at anyone before. It must be pretty serious._

Again, I hear Banshee's scream in the distance. I rush to the jagged opening in the jet, scanning the horizon. I see Sean's figure flying over the water, carrying Alex with one arm. _Yes!_

But my excitement is short-lived. Angel comes flying up behind them and fires a fireball at one of Sean's gliders, blasting a hole in it. Sean quickly bats his arm, trying to put the flames out. He and Alex drop, heading for the water. I gasp, getting ready to catch them with my powers. At the last second, Banshee lets out a scream, propelling him and Havok the last few feet to the shore. They hit the sand, tumbling head over heels.

"Professor!" I call.

"Go! Make sure they're okay."

I nod my thanks and take off across the sand. "Banshee! Havok!" I holler.

Sean is cradling his shoulder and groaning. Alex quickly runs to his side and I notice that the metal disc in his suit is gone, leaving a hole in the material of his uniform. Just then, Angel starts flying straight towards them.

"Havok, look out!" I yell.

Alex quickly stands up and whirls his arms around, hurling a ring of energy at Angel. It nails her in the wing and sends her crashing to the ground. Alex sighs in relief and Banshee lets out a laugh.

"Hey!" I call, running up to them. "Are you guys okay?"

Alex nods, turning to me.

I nod back and drop down next to Sean. "What about you?" I ask.

"Besides the crazy chick messing up my shoulder, I'm just peachy." He replies.

"Well, the routine was flawless, but you didn't stick the landing." I chuckle.

Banshee lightly shoved me. "Ouch." He groans, when he jostles his shoulder. I help him sit up.

I take a good look at Alex. The metal disc was gone, revealing his _very_ muscular chest. I tore my eyes away from his torso before he could catch me staring. _Not the time, Y/N._

"What happened to you?" I asked, standing in front of him. I noticed the edges of the hole were singed. "Did you get burned?!"

He shook his head and chuckled at my obvious worry. "Nah, I'm fine. Angel just fried the disc."

"Yeah, but you didn't need it to blast her out of the sky. You were awesome, man!" Banshee cheered.

I grinned. But my smile dropped when I noticed a red mark peeking out the top of Alex's collar. I quickly pulled it down. "Geez.." I murmur.

Alex had two large, painful-looking red welts around his neck. "Azazel's tail?" I ask.

Alex nods lightly. "I'm fine. C'mon." He says, gently pulling my hand away from his collar. "Let's go help the others."

"Okay." I reply.

Alex helps Sean up off the ground and supports him, as we head back towards the jet. I realized someone was missing.

"Where's Hank?" I ask.

Banshee and Havok both look at me, obviously forgetting Beast had been with them.

A second later, Beast and Azazel appeared in front of us. Azazel had Beast pinned, the sharp diamond of his tail poised threateningly above Beast's eye. Beast let out a snarl.

Suddenly, Shaw appeared in the opening of the jet. "Stop! Azazel."

Azazel stood and faced him, waiting for instruction. But it never came. Hank shot up and wrapped his hand around Azazel's neck, and threw him against the jet. Before Azazel hit it, he teleports directly behind Beast. Beast whirls around and nails Azazel in the gut, making him collapse on the ground.

We all face Shaw in shock, to see him slowly morph into Mystique. She smirks.

"Way to go, Mystique!" I compliment.

Meanwhile, Beast notices Alex supporting Sean. "What happened?" He asks.

"He messed up his shoulder when he crash landed." Alex says.

"You're welcome for saving you life, Alex." Sean mutters sarcastically.

Raven and I chuckle.

"Here, let me see. I know first-aid." Beast says.

"What can you _not_ do?" Alex asks.

"I'm terrible at dodgeball." Hank replies.

The group laughs and Hank begins checking Sean's shoulder.

"I'm going to go check on the Professor." I tell Alex.

He nods.

I jog to the opening in the jet. When I get inside, chaos greets me.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**


	10. Ricochet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter. I know, I know. But for what I have planned for the next chapter, this one needed to be shorter.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

Professor Xavier is frantic.  
"Eric, _don't do this!"_ He shouts.

"What's going on?" I ask Moira.

"From what I can gather, Charles got inside Shaw's mind and Eric went AWOL." She responds.

 _"What?!"_

"Eric, _please."_ The Professor begs. Suddenly, he begins to scream in agony.

 _"Professor!"_ I yell. "Pull out! _Pull out, Professor!"_

He doesn't seem to hear me. He continues to scream. He screams and he screams, no doubt going hoarse. Then in an instant, the screams die and the Professor collapses to his knees. 

Moira quickly drops down in front of him, cradling his face in her hands. "Charles, what happened? Are you okay?"

He stares ahead with haunted eyes. "Eric just killed Shaw." 

Moira and I inhale sharply. _He killed Shaw? With the Professor still in Shaw's mind? Oh my gosh.._

"Outside. Quickly!" The Professor orders, running out of the jet. Moira and I follow on his heels.

As we stare at the sub, the metal suddenly bends outward and rips, forming a opening in the hull. Shaw's limp body floats out, like some sort of sick puppet; blood trickling down from a hole in his forehead. Magneto levitates just behind him.

"Today, our fighting _stops!"_ Magneto announces. He releases Shaw's body, letting it hit the ground with a sickening _crack._ I try not to gag. Just ahead of us, Alex and Hank are supporting Sean, with Mystique standing on Hank's left. Off to the side stands Azazel, Angel, and Riptide.

Magneto gently lowers himself to the ground, scanning each of our faces. "Take off your blinders, brothers and sisters." He calls. "The real enemy is out there." He points to the human ship fleets. "I feel their guns moving in the water. Their metal targeting _us._ Americans.. Soviets.. Humans. United in their fear of the unknown. The Neanderthal is running _scared,_ my fellow mutants!"

I instinctually move towards my group, wanting to be closer to Alex. I take the vacant spot by Raven.

The Professor slowly approaches Eric and they both face the water.

"Go ahead, Charles." Eric prompts. "Tell me I'm wrong."

Professor X places his fingertips to his temple, scanning the human minds. He slowly lowers his hand in shock. He looks at Moira and gives a small nod. We instantly know that Magneto is telling the truth. Moira's eyes widen in horror. She dashes back into the jet, no doubt trying to contact the fleets. I shoot a panicked look to Alex. He returns it with a determined one, but I could see the fear in his eyes. With a chorus of loud _BANGS,_ dozens of missiles soar through the air.  
Heading straight for us. 

Alex and Hank let go of Sean, and we all instinctively take a few steps back. I somehow found myself standing next to Alex. As the missiles got closer, we could see just how many were headed for us.

"There's too many." I whimper. "There's too many, _I can't stop them!"_ Alex wraps his hand around mine, gripping it tightly. We brace for impact. _This is it._

Suddenly, Magneto shoots a hand out, making the missiles freeze.

I gasp.

Slowly, Magneto rotates his hand, making the missiles face the fleet.

"Eric," The Professor warns. "You said yourself that we are the better men. This is the time to prove it."

_He wants to slaughter all those humans.._

"There are _thousands_ of men on those ships. Good, honest, _innocent_ men! They're just following orders." Professor X pleads.

"I've been at the mercy of men just following orders." Magneto says. He looks at the Professor. "Never again." He turns back to the ships.

He pulls his hand back before thrusting it forward, hurling the missiles towards the ships.

"Eric, release them!" Professor Xavier orders.

Magneto ignores him.

With a desperate scream of, "No!" The Professor tackles Magneto to the ground.

With Magneto's concentration gone, the missiles begin exploding in mid-air, away from the ships.

"I don't want to hurt you. Don't make me!" Magneto warns. He throws the Professor off of him. The Professor grunts as he hits the ground.

We quickly dash forward to help him. 

"Get back!" Magneto yells. He thrusts his hand out at us, throwing me, Alex, Hank, and Sean across the beach. 

I yelp as I fly through the air. I hit the ground and roll before coming to a stop. I hear a _snap_ in my wrist, pain shooting through it. I slowly climb to my feet, cradling my wrist against my stomach. I look up just in time to see Magneto punch the Professor in the face. He takes control of the missiles again. Suddenly, Moira comes out of the jet, firing her gun at Magneto.

Magneto quickly turns, deflecting the bullets with his powers. We watch in horror as one of the bullets ricochets, hitting the Professor in the lower back.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know if you did! :) I should have the next chapter up sometime Wednesday.


	11. Powers Within

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter, just like I said! :) We're so close to the end, oh my gosh. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy!

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

Time seems to slow down. The Professor opens his mouth in a soundless scream and collapses to the ground.

 _"No.."_ I breathe.

Moira drops her gun. 

Magneto slides to the Professor's side. He uses his powers the pull the bullet out of the Professor's back, letting the rest of the missiles explode harmlessly in the air.

"I'm so sorry." Magneto says, cradling the Professor in his arms.

We tried to approach them.

"I said, _back off!"_ Magneto roars.

We froze.

"You." He says, turning to Moira. _"You_ did this." He raised his hand, using his powers to pull Moira's dog tags tight against her neck; choking her.

"Please." Professor X begs. "She didn't do this, Eric.. You did."

Magneto looks down at him, before slowly lowering his arm, releasing Moira. She falls to her hands and knees, gasping for air.

"Us turning on each other.. It's what they want." Magneto says. "I tried to warn you, Charles... I want you by my side. We're brothers, you and I. All of us together, protecting each another. _We want the same thing."_

"Oh, my friend." The Professor says sadly. "I'm sorry, but we do not."

They stare at each other for a moment, before Magneto waves Moira over.

She drops to the Professor's side. "Charles." She breathes, taking Magneto's place and cradling the Professor in her arms. "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" She cries.

"It's all right. It's all right." Professor Xavier assures. Then he groans in pain.

Magneto stands and faces us. "This society," he says, pointing to Moira, "won't accept us. We form our own. The humans have played their hand, now we get ready to play ours. Who's with me?" He holds out his hand towards Raven. "No more hiding."

Slowly, Raven makes her way towards him. She pauses a few feet away, and drops down next to the Professor. They speak for a moment, but it's too quiet for us to hear. The Professor kisses Raven's hand, and she in turn kisses his forehead. She says something to Moira, before taking Magneto's hand and standing. Angel, Azazel, and Riptide join them, holding hands.

"Raven.." I say.

She just looks at me sadly. She cuts eyes at Alex then winks at me as if to say, _'Go get him.'_

I nod, trying to hold back tears.

"And Beast!" Raven calls out to Hank. "Never forget.. Mutant and proud!"

Beast looks away, unable to meet her gaze.

Then they're gone in a puff of red smoke.

The rest of us dash to the Professor's side.

"Hank!" I call, temporarily forgetting code names as we run to the Professor. "How much of the body is made of water?" _If anyone knows the answer to a science question, it's Hank._

"About 60%." He replies.

"Is there water in blood?" I ask.

"Well, plasma is the liquid portion of-"

"The _short_ version!" I yell.

"Yes!"

"That's all I needed to know." I stay standing as the others kneel at the Professor's side.

"I'm going to get you to a hospital." Moira promises. She and Hank try to move the Professor, but he lets out a scream of pain.

"Wait, don't." Hank says, laying Professor back down. "Charles, don't move, okay?"

"I won't." Professor X promises. "Actually I.. I-I can't feel my legs. _I can't feel my legs._ I can't feel my legs.." He begins to mumble, over and over.

A cold wave of horror washes over me.

"He's going into shock." Hank announces.

"I know an off-the-books facility that can help him. A guy there owes me a favor. It's secure, I promise. But I don't know how to get us there." Moira says.

I had a plan to help the Professor until we could get him to a doctor, but I didn't know if it would work. _Am I even powerful enough to do it?_  
"Since the wound is not a through-and-through we need to control the internal bleeding, but keep him from bleeding out, yes?" I ask.

Everyone looks at me in shock. 

"Y-Yes." Hank replies. "But how did-"

"I like to read." I say brusquely. "Now everyone who's nonessential, back up!" 

Alex and Sean backed away, as Hank and Moira were supporting the Professor.

I focused on steadying my breathing. I knew with a most-likely sprained wrist, this was going to hurt. I closed my eyes and carefully moved my arms in circular motions, focusing on the water inside the Professor's body. All I could hear was the sound of the ocean and the steady pounding of my own pulse in my ears. Somehow, I could sense the internal bleeding. I controlled the blood, pushing it back into the blood vessels it came from and circulating it, so it didn't build up and cause more damage. Continuing to swirl my arms, I made a water barrier over the bullet wound; keeping the Professor from bleeding out. My wrist was throbbing horribly and my headache was back, but I knew my powers were working. I open my eyes. 

I distantly hear the others gasp.

 _"Y/N, keep doing what you're doing!"_ Hank's voice sounds far away, but I still manage to hear it.

I nod. Pain shoots through my head with the action. I grit my jaw, nearly losing my concentration. I could feel the Professor going cold from the blood loss.

 ** _'Focus.. Focus on what really matters.'_** I hear the Professor's voice.

 _Alex._

I slam my eyes shut and focus all my energy. I could sense the waves crashing on the shore. The way the water built up power before it came crashing down upon the sand. I imagined my powers building up the same way. I put all my energy into it, sparing nothing. With a loud yell, I thrust my arms out. I open my eyes to see the others looking at me in awe.. And slight fear. The Professor was levitating, surrounded in a water cocoon with only his face uncovered. I could feel the cocoon warming him and holding the blood in. His face was lax. He seemed to be unconscious.

Memories flashed through my mind. All of them revolving around Alex.  
____________________________________

_..."Wanting to feel at home when all you've done is run and hide.. It's not ridiculous.."..._

 

_..."We gotta stop meeting like this. Me, cleaning up your messes.."..._

 

_..."Y/N!"_

_"Calm down, Y/N. He's not worth it.."..._

 

_..."Well, I guess this is goodnight."_

_"Goodnight, Alex.."..._

 

 _..._ " **Please** _be careful."_

 _"I will. Promise.."..._  
____________________________________

 _"We have to get him to a hospital."_ I say, my voice sounding louder than normal, like my voice had been multiplied. It made me sound more commanding. _Powerful._

"How?" Beast asks.

_"Hang on."_

I dropped my arms, holding the water cocoon with just my mind. I thrust my arms towards the ocean, slowly raising them up. A huge wall of water rises up from the surface. Swirling my arms, it wraps around us, creating a funnel. We rise into the air. We climb higher and higher, traveling over the ocean.

More thoughts of Alex flood my mind.  
____________________________________

_.. The way his muscles ripple as he uses his powers.._

_.. The golden color of his hair.._

_.. The deep blue of his eyes.._

_.. The way flames compliment both.._

_.. How infectious his laugh is.._

_.. How his arms feel around me.._

_.. The way his hand fits perfectly around mine.._

_.. His unique scent.._

_.. The warmth of his cheek against my lips.._  
____________________________________

_Alex._

Suddenly, coordinates were in my mind. Somehow I knew that that's where we had to go. _The Professor. It has to be._

_Alex._  
Alex.  
Alex. 

Next thing I know, my feet hit the ground outside of a facility. The funnel collapses. 

Doctors with a gurney come running out of the building. I gently levitate the Professor onto the gurney, before releasing him from the cocoon and leaving him completely dry.

"What happened?" One of the doctors asks.

"GSW to the back. Bullet was removed on site. Loss of feeling in his legs-" Hank continues to rattle off information. Once the doctors took a good look at our appearance, they were obviously shocked, freezing in their tracks.

But with a quick reprimand from Moira, and her reminding a "Dr. Marcus" that he owed her a favor, they jump back into action.  
They rush ahead with the Professor, along with the team.

I stay rooted to my spot. The surge of adrenaline and power had left me. Dizziness, and horrible pain in my wrist and head, slams into me like a truck.  
My head throbs. I can feel blood trickling down the neck of my suit. Sharp shooting pains radiate from my wrist and up my arm. Black spots begin dancing in my vision.

Alex starts to follow the group but stops, and looks back at me.

 _"Ocea.._ You okay?" He asks worriedly.

I could feel myself swaying. My vision starts greying at the edges.

Alex quickly makes his way towards me. "Y/N?!"

I meet Alex's eyes.. And my knees buckle.

_"Y/N!"_

Right before I hit the ground, I feel Alex's strong arms wrap around me. He carefully cradles me against his chest. 

"Help!" He calls out. _"I need some help over here!"_

It was getting harder and harder for me to keep my eyes open.

"Hey, hey. Stay with me. _Stay with me, Y/N!_ Oh my gosh, you're bleeding. _Stay awake!"_ Alex says, frantically. 

_I've never seen him this scared._

Something wet trickles out of my nose and ears. A metallic taste in my mouth lets me know it's blood.

 _"HELP!"_ He screams.

"A-Alex.." I whisper. 

He looks down at me. 

_Are those tears in his eyes?_

"It's okay, Y/N.. We'll get you help.. You'll be fine." He tries to assure.

My breathing feels labored, and I'm losing the battle with consciousness. Another stab of pain in my head makes me groan.

"A-Alex.." I say.  
Gently, I place my hand on his cheek and gaze into his frantic, blue eyes. I felt my own filling with tears. _"M'sorry.."_ My voice is barely audible.  
With the last of my strength gone, I fall limp in his arms.

The last thing I hear is Alex screaming my name.

Then everything goes black.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: Do you guys want another segment or chapter from Alex's POV? Like what he saw and felt during this chapter? Or just skip to the Reader's POV? I really want you guys' feedback on this!
> 
> ~Kate


	12. Through His Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events of the previous chapter from Alex's point of view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, originally this was just going to be a short filler chapter from Alex's point of view. Some lovely reviewers on Fanfiction requested it, so I started writing. It turned into a 2,912 word chapter... But, anyways! I really enjoyed writing it and liked how it turned out. I hope you guys do, too! :)

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

**Alex's POV:**  
_Three Hours Ago._

"Everyone who's nonessential, back up!" Y/N ordered.

From her tone of voice, Alex knew she was about to do something serious. He and Sean quickly backed up, while Hank and Moira continued to support the Professor. Y/N took a series of deep breaths before she closed her eyes and began moving her arms in circular motions; her expression intense. By now Alex recognized the expression. Eyebrows furrowed, lips slightly pursed; determination written in every aspect of her body. It was the one she wore when she was concentrating or thinking about something important... The expression that Alex found kind of cute. _Not the time, Alex,_ he chastised himself.

He watched in fascination as the Professor's spilled blood slowly receded, flowing back into his wound. Then a small trail of water floated up from the ocean and settled on the wound, forming something like a water bandage; holding the blood in. Alex couldn't help his sharp intake of breath. He heard the others gasp as well.

"Y/N, keep doing what you're doing!" Hank said.

Y/N nodded. A crease formed in the middle of her forehead and she clenched her jaw, as if she was in pain. Then her eyes slammed shut. Alex didn't know how, but as he watched her, it was almost as if he could _feel_ the power growing inside her. The scent of ocean air seemed to grow stronger, the waves seemed to crash harder against the shore, the sun seemed brighter and the ocean bluer. A large wave crashed, the water rushing along the sand. Instead of receding back to the ocean, it kept coming. It flowed rapidly across the sand, never straying from its course except to go around Y/N's feet. It began to travel up the Professor's boots and up the legs of his suit. It continued up to his torso, wrapping its way around his body. Hank and Moira slowly backed away, their expressions a mixture of shock and awe. With a loud yell, Y/N's eyes flew open and she thrust her arms out. Alex's breath caught in his throat.

Sure, Alex always thought Y/N was pretty. He _was_ a guy, after all. He wasn't blind. But now.. He thought Y/N was _stunning._ Her Y/H/L, Y/H/C was flowing around her face as if a breeze had caught it, but there wasn't one. And her eyes.. They were unlike anything he had ever seen. It was like the ocean had been caught in the depths of her Y/E/C orbs. He could see the waves breaking and crashing within them. But what struck Alex the most was the _power_ she seemed to exude. She was practically glowing. Then, as Alex looked closer, he realized she _was_ glowing. A faint blue light made her skin and eyes shine. To sum it up: Y/N was the most breathtaking thing he had ever seen. She truly deserved the name _Ocea._ Something in his peripheral vision caught his attention. He managed to pry his eyes away from Y/N to look at the Professor. Alex gasped. The transformation was complete; everything except the Professor's face was covered in water and he was _levitating._ At some point the Professor must have fallen unconscious; his eyes were closed and his face lax.

 _"We have to get him to a hospital."_ Y/N said.

Her voice startled Alex and sent shivers down his spine. It sounded multiplied; as if more than one Y/N was speaking at once. She sounded... _Powerful._

Hank spoke up. "How?"

 _"Hang on,"_ was her only reply.

She lowered her arms, and Alex felt his jaw drop. Y/N was holding up the Professor with _just her mind._ In one fluid movement, she turned and thrust her arms towards the sea. She slowly raised them up and a huge wall of water followed. Alex watched in speechless awe as Y/N swirled her arms and the wall of water bent toward them. The water bent downward and twisted, wrapping around them and forming a funnel. Alex knew what was about to happen.

"Everyone grab hands!" He said.

Nobody argued. Moira grabbed his left hand and Sean gripped his right. Hank wrapped his large hand around Sean's much smaller one. All of them began to rise into the air. Once they were at least two–stories high, Y/N began to propel them forward and across the water. Alex could only imagine the expressions on the faces of the humans inside the ships far below them. Alex estimated they must have traveled in the funnel for at least three hours. No one spoke the entire way. The only sounds that kept them company was the roaring water. Not once did Y/N seem to falter in direction. She didn't even ask Moira which way to go; it was like she already knew. Suddenly, Alex felt them start to descend; Y/N's arm motions slowing. Finally, Alex's feet hit solid concrete. They had made it to the private facility.

Y/N released the water. Alex expected it to hit the ground and flood the place, but it didn't. Instead, it exploded into a fine mist; almost like a wet, ocean breeze. Moira didn't waste any time; she ran through the doors of the facility. No sooner had she gone in, that she came running back out. A team of doctors followed her with a gurney and supplies. They were so focused on their work, they didn't seem to notice the group's appearance. Y/N carefully levitated the Professor onto the gurney. The water trickled off his body and evaporated, leaving the Professor completely dry.

"What happened?" One of the doctors asked.

Hank went into, what Alex called, _'science geek mode.'_  
"GSW to the back. Bullet was removed on site. Loss of feeling in his legs. Bleeding was controlled in route, but the patient still suffered from shock and unconsciousness."

The doctor glanced up at Hank, then did a double–take. The rest of the staff froze; looking at the group of mutants in shock.

"Dr. Marcus, if you'll kindly remember: you owe me a favor and you have a _bleeding patient_ on your gurney!" Moira said sternly.

That snapped them back into action. They quickly loaded the Professor up and rushed him inside; Moira, Hank, and Sean on their heels. Alex started to follow, but didn't hear Y/N's footsteps behind him. He turned to check on her. Y/N was still standing in the same spot. Alex noticed she was sickly pale; her eyes glassy and unfocused.

 _"Ocea.._ You okay?" He asked worriedly, using his code name for her.

She didn't answer. As Alex watched, she began to sway unsteadily. Fear slowly began to take hold of him as he made his way towards her. She started to sway more dramatically.

"Y/N?!" Alex asked again. He was really worried now.

He had almost reached her side when Y/N's eyes met his. Then her knees buckled.

 _"Y/N!"_ Alex shouted. He dashed forward the last few feet and caught her before she hit the ground. He sank to his knees, carefully cradling her against his chest. Her body trembled and her skin was ice cold.

"Help!" He yelled in the direction of the facility's doors. _"I need some help over here!"_

Y/N's eyes started to flutter. She was losing consciousness. Fear like Alex had never known ran rampant through his entire system.

"Hey, hey. Stay with me. _Stay with me, Y/N!"_ Alex adjusted her in his arms slightly, causing Y/N's head to shift. Where her head had rested a second before, was now wet with blood. "Oh my gosh, you're bleeding. _Stay awake!"_ He said to her frantically.

Alex knew he sounded terrified and panicked, but right then he didn't care. _Why isn't anyone coming?Are they deaf?_ A violent shudder ran through Y/N's body. Alex quickly turned his attention back to her. Small trickles of blood leaked from her nose and ears. _Oh no.. No, no, no, no, no!_

_"HELP!"_ Alex screamed as loud as he could.

"A-Alex.." Y/N whispered.

He looked down at her; his eyes burning.

"It's okay, Y/N.. We'll get you help.. You'll be fine." He tried to assure her, but his voice shook.

Her breathing sounded labored. She must have been in pain because her back arched slightly, and she let out a groan; her forehead creased.

"A-Alex.." She said again.

Gently, Y/N placed her hand on his cheek and gazed into his frantic, blue eyes. Her own Y/E/C orbs filled with tears. _"M'sorry.."_ Her voice is barely audible.

Then her eyes closed and she went limp in his arms; her hand no longer cupping his cheek. Cold horror clenched Alex's heart in a vice–grip.

"Y/N!" He screamed. He placed his hand against her cheek and tapped it gently; no response. "No.. No.." He whispered.

The only sign that she was still alive was the unsteady rise and fall of her chest, and the raspy sound of her breaths.

"Hang on, _Ocea."_ Alex said. He took his shaking hand from her cheek and slid it under her knees, his other arm wrapped around her back; before standing. He grunted and shifted her slightly; her suit making it awkward to carry her. Then Alex was sprinting, as fast as he could. He burst through the facility doors.

"Somebody help her!" He yelled.

Hank, Sean, and Moira, who had been sitting in chairs off to the side, jumped to their feet; staring at at Y/N with shock, worry, and fear. More doctors came running up with another gurney. Alex gently laid Y/N on it.

"What happened to her?" One of the staff asked.

"I–I don't know. She just collapsed! There was blood on the back of her head and–and then it started coming out of her nose and ears then she– she passed out! _Please,_ you have to help her!" Alex begged.

All the doctors began talking at once; so fast, Alex could barely keep up.

"BP is low–"

"Needs a cat-scan–"

"Possible concussion–"

"A lot of bleeding–"

They began to wheel Y/N away quickly. Away from _him._

"Wait, where are you taking her?" Alex demanded, chasing after them. Two of the bigger, male doctors stopped him. "Let go of me!" Alex growled, balling his hands into fists. He could feel the heat of his powers rising.

 _You have no idea what I'm capable of,_ Alex thought. _I could just blast my way through._

Their grip on his arms remained tight. "Sir, you can't go back there." One of the doctors said.

"And why _not?"_ Alex shouted back.

"Sir, I promise you: we will do everything we can to help your girlfriend. But you have to let us work."

Alex was so worried about Y/N, he didn't bother correcting the doctor on you not being his girlfriend. _'Yet,'_ part of him whispered. Alex felt a large hand on his shoulder. He looked behind him to see Hank looking at him with sympathetic eyes.

"Let them do their job, Havok." Hank said.

 _Right. Code names around the humans,_ Alex thought. He reluctantly nodded. The doctors released him, then hurried to go help treat Y/N. Alex's hands were still balled into fists. Feeling all his emotions crash down on him at once, he angrily slammed his fist into the wall. Thankfully (or unthankfully, considering his mood), the wall was solid and Alex didn't put a hole in it. His hand throbbed and he suddenly felt dizzy. He collapsed in a chair and put his head down; gripping his hair in his hands. His breathing was harsh as he tried to maintain control of his powers. _Don't lose it, Alex. Keep your cool._

"Havok?" Moira asked timidly. "What happened?" She suddenly let out a gasp. "Are you hurt?!"

Alex knew she had noticed the blood on his suit. He managed to shake his head _'no,'_ in response. After a moment, he regained enough composure to recount what happened; though he didn't look up.

"By the time I got her in here, she was having trouble breathing." He finished.

"Oh my gosh..." Moira breathed.

"Two team members in one day.." Sean mumbled.

Alex couldn't stand being in the facility anymore. "Let me know if anything changes." He said, before heading for the door.

He slammed it open and strode out. He leaned his back against the brick wall and tried to take deep breaths. He was surprised when he felt tears pricking his eyes. _I haven't cried in so long.. Why does she make me feel like this? Why does she make me_ **feel?** Alex couldn't wrap his head around it. He couldn't understand how this girl had wormed her way into his heart, and so quickly, when he's tried so hard to keep everyone out. He was instantly drawn to her without explanation. Which is why he went out of his way to protect her the night of the invasion: grabbing her and pulling her behind the couch, steadying her after the bomb went off, getting between her and that Riptide freak... He just had this _instinct_ to protect her. And now, she might die and what was the last thing Alex did to her? She kissed his cheek and he pushed her away. He saw how hurt she was the next day when he did it. Although afterwards, Y/N still cared about him. He knew she couldn't help it; it was just in her nature. She was a caring person. _IS a caring person!_ He scolded himself. _She hasn't died yet.._

_Yet._ Alex felt like Azazel had stabbed him in the gut with his sword. _Y/N can't die. Not before I tell her..._ Tell her what? Alex couldn't figure out what he felt much less how to explain it. _Now it might be too late..._

The door to the facility opened and Hank stuck his head out. "Havok.." He said.

Alex waited for the inevitable.

 _"Ocea_ is stable. She's going to be fine." Hank smiles softly.

It took all of Alex's willpower not to collapse to his knees in relief. He tried to school his features in front of Hank. "Good. That's good.." He cleared his throat. "Any word on the Professor?"

Hank's expression darkened. "You better come inside."

Feeling a mixture of relief and dread, Alex followed Hank inside.

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

Alex sat by Y/N's bedside. It had been three days since the battle on the beach, and Alex had hardly moved from his seat since. The doctors had taken the oxygen mask off and replaced it with a nasal cannula, now that her breathing was steadier. The beeping of the heart monitor assured Alex of it. She was still pale, but the blood had been cleaned from her face and hair. Earlier, when no one was around, he had touched her hand; just to assure himself she was no longer ice cold. She wasn't. Y/N seemed to be mending, slowly but surely. The doctor's official report was a laceration on the back of her head (thankfully, no stitches required), a concussion (which won't leave any permanent damage), and a severely sprained wrist (which was now in a brace). As for the blood that leaked from her nose and ears, they weren't sure. One doctor suggested stress. Hank's guess was over–exerting her powers, which seemed more likely.

Alex sighed. While the doctors and Hank agreed that Y/N would live, none of them could guess as to when she would wake up. Alex's thoughts were interrupted by Moira knocking on the door. She quietly walked in, as if not to disturb Y/N.

"Havok?" Her voice was soft. "Dr. Marcus said it was okay to transport Y/N back to the mansion. The Professor is signing himself out today, and I managed to get us a jet. So we should be good to fly out this evening."

"So soon?" Alex asked.

Moira pursed her lips. "Charles is signing himself out against doctor recommendations. The only thing he agreed to was a wheelchair."

"Which is adequate. Barely." Hank said, entering the room. "I'll design something better when we get back to the mansion."

"And we're sure it won't be harmful for.. _both_ of them to fly?" Alex asked.

"While it's not recommended for the Professor to fly, it shouldn't cause serious damage. _Ocea,_ however, is perfectly fine to fly." Moira replied.

Alex nodded in response.

"I better go track down Banshee. He went to go find a soda machine." Hank said, before taking his leave.

"I need to go make sure the jet is ready to go. Also, I need to check on Charles. Doctors should be around soon to prep _Ocea_ for transport."

Again, Alex nodded.

Moira smiled softly before leaving.

Turning back to Y/N, Alex sighed again. "Come on, _Ocea._ You've got to wake up..."

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping to make this a series. Three, possibly four parts. The second would take place between First Class and Days of Future Past. The third would take place during DoFP. The fourth would take place during Apocalypse, which I would try to write after the movie came out. Let me know what you guys think! ~Kate


	13. Right Here, Right Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is technically the final chapter! The next one will be a mini-epilogue and a little preview for the sequel. Yup, that's right! Followers on Fanfiction requested a sequel! :D

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

A steady beeping noise slowly reached my ears. I tried to discern my surroundings the best I could, without opening my eyes. I was lying in a soft bed, bathed in the warmth of sunlight. Soft breathing alerted me that I was not alone.

After a few attempts, I managed to open my eyes. I immediately shut them— the light blinding me. Slowly, I open them again; squinting. I was in my bedroom back at the mansion, hooked up to a couple of hospital monitors. I also had a brace on my left wrist. I look to my right to see Alex slumped in a chair at my bedside. He hadn't noticed that I had woken up; he was staring off into space. I was about to call his name... But then I really _looked_ at him.

Alex looked horrible.

He was dressed in a long–sleeved hoodie and a pair of sweatpants. His blue eyes were bloodshot; dark circles shadowing them. His hair was disheveled; the bangs that were usually spiked up, now hung limp over his forehead. _What happened to him?_

"Alex.." I croak. My voice was scratchy and barely audible.

Nonetheless, Alex heard me and his gaze snapped to mine. "You're awake." He says, sounding relieved. He scrubbed a hand over his face.

"What happened?" I ask.

"You passed out." Beast replies, entering my room. "You had a serious head wound, _which you didn't tell anyone about,_ a concussion, _which you didn't tell anyone about,_ a severely sprained wrist, _which you didn't tell anyone about–_ are you sensing a theme here? _And_ you over–exerted yourself using your powers."

"The Professor knew about my head injury.. He told me to get it checked out once we got back. Which apparently, _I did."_ I sassed.

Alex snorted and rolled his eyes. 

Hank looked over the readings on the monitors. "You could have avoided a lot of suffering on your part if you had just told me." He scoffs. 

"The suffering was worth it to help the Professor, and to get you guys to safety." I mutter. Realization suddenly hits me and my eyes widen. "The Professor! How is he?" I look back and forth between Alex and Hank. 

Their expressions fall. Dread starts to build up inside me. Hank looks away, and Alex looks down at his hands. Neither one would meet my eyes. 

"No.." I whisper. _He couldn't be dead. Not after all we went through._ The beeping of the heart monitor starts to escalate. 

"He's not dead." Alex suddenly says, looking up to meet my eyes. Relief floods through me. I let out a sigh. "He's paralyzed from the waist down." 

Again my stomach drops. I look away, not being able to meet Alex's gaze. 

"At least he's alive.." I say, weakly. 

"It's not your fault." Hank speaks up. "You couldn't have prevented it. In fact, it's because of you that he's alive. He would have bled out if it wasn't for you." 

I nod, not quite believing what Hank said. 

"I built him a pretty cool wheelchair, so he's able to get around fairly easily. Moira took on the responsibility of pushing him around." He adds. 

I frown. _If Hank had enough time to design_ **and** _build a wheelchair..._

"How long was I out?" I ask, suddenly. 

Hank shifts uncomfortably. "Two weeks." 

The blood drains from my face. The beeping of the heart monitor speeds up again. 

"Will you give us a minute?" Alex asks Hank. Well, more like _demands._

They stare at each for a minute, before an understanding passes between them. Hank nods and leaves the room, closing the door behind him. 

"Y/N." Alex says, softly. 

My breathing escalates. 

"Y/N, calm down." He gently takes my hand. 

I shake my head and close my eyes, my breathing coming in short gasps. The beeping of the monitor was getting louder. 

"Y/N, it's okay." Alex tries to assure. 

I'm on the verge of hyperventilating when I feel the bed dip and his hands on my cheeks, cradling my face. 

"Y/N, I _need_ you to look at me." Alex says, firmly. 

I hesitantly obey, looking into his deep blue eyes. The blue eyes that I so easily get lost in... 

"That's it. Now breathe with me. In.. And out. In.. And out.." Alex instructs. 

Soon my breathing is steady, and the heart monitor is back to normal. Alex drops his hands from my face and rests them on my shoulders. 

"Sorry." I whisper to Alex, feeling embarrassed by my panic attack. "S-Sorry... M'sorry." I mumble weakly, hugging myself and dropping my gaze to my lap. 

I feel Alex stiffen. 

"W-What's wrong?" I ask worriedly, looking up at him and scanning his face. 

_"'I'm sorry'..._ That's the last thing you said to me before you passed out.. Why did you apologize?" Alex asks with difficulty. He looked almost hurt. _I haven't seen him with an expression like that since Darwin's death..._

I shake my head, fighting back tears. I couldn't look him in the eyes. "I.. I don't know. I... I.." My voice fails. I couldn't tell him the truth. 

"Y/N.." Alex says softly. 

"I thought I was going to die." I whimper, finally looking into his eyes. "I thought I was going to die and... I realized I didn't.. I was going to die before..." My voice breaks off. 

"Before what?" He asks; his eyes almost begging me to tell him. 

"I.. I can't tell you.." I shake my head, breaking Alex's pleading gaze. I hug myself tighter, trying not to hyperventilate again. 

_"Y/N."_ Alex says, sounding frustrated. He squeezed my shoulders and gave them a small shake. Not hard, just enough to get my attention. 

"I was going to die before telling you that _I love you!"_ I shout, meeting his eyes as the tears start to fall. "I'm in love with you.." 

Alex looked at me, stunned; eyes wide and mouth slightly open. I drop my head, crying softly. 

"I wanted to tell you right before I died... Because then I wouldn't have to face rejection." 

I pause and sniffle.

"You know... It's funny.." I let out a chuckle, but there's no humor in it. "I've faced rejection by humans all my life.. I've faced rejection by _mutants!_ Angel.. Raven... I was fine with that. I could _handle_ that.. But I couldn't handle rejection from you." I angrily scrub the tears off my face. _"I still can't!"_ I growl. "But now I'll have to face it anyway... Gosh, I'm _pathetic."_

"You're _not_ pathetic!" Alex snaps. I whip my head up to meet his gaze. His blue eyes were blazing. "You're strong. You're powerful. You're _brave,_ almost stupidly so. You're _kind._ You're _loving._ You're witty and funny. You're extremely _smart._ You're _so much_ better at controlling your powers than I am... And you're _beautiful."_

I stare at him in astonishment. Some part of me thought either I was dreaming, or this was one sick joke. I searched his face for any sign of dishonesty or humor; but there was none. Alex gently brushes away the remnants of my tears. 

"Every time you use your powers, I'm blown away. With powers like mine.. When all you cause is destruction.. To see someone so _graceful,_ using their powers to do _good..._ Y/N, when you were helping the Professor.. You opened your eyes and I could see the ocean in them. _Literally,_ I could see the waves crashing inside them. The _sheer power_ radiating from you.. It was breathtaking.. _You_ were breathtaking." He stares deep into my eyes. "You always take my breath away." He whispers. He leans in close, until I could feel his breath against my lips. "Don't be afraid of rejection. Don't be afraid of _me."_

I realized when he said, _'Don't be afraid of me,'_ it was a plea. He didn't want me to fear his rejection, or his powers. But all thoughts left my mind when Alex's hands slid into my hair and his lips crashed onto mine. I froze in shock. Then I realized _Alex Summers_ was kissing me. I quickly responded. I kissed him back desperately, gripping his sweatshirt in my hands. All the emotions we had held back were poured into this kiss. His lips were unnaturally warm, as was the rest of his skin, no doubt from the power he has to keep contained. He kissed me like his life depended on it; like I was the only water in a barren desert, as if I was the most _precious_ thing in the world to him. Slowly we pulled away, when air became a priority. My head was spinning; both from lack of oxygen and from having Alex stare at me with his dark blue orbs. I knew the heart monitor was going nuts, but right then I didn't care. Because the only thing that mattered was Alex and I. Right here, and right now. 

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

Alex sits with his back against the headboard. I'm curled up at his side, my head resting against his chest. Thankfully, the monitors were now detached from my body. Alex has his arms around me, one hand playing with my hair. 

"Do you know the moment I realized I was in love with you?" He murmurs. 

"When?" I ask, a contented smile on my face. 

"When you told me off about being rude to Hank... You were the first person who didn't put up with my crap. Not to mention you're kinda adorable when you're angry." He chuckles. 

"Thanks, I think.." I laugh softly. "I took an interest in you fairly quickly." 

"Oh really?" 

Without looking, I knew he was smirking. I lightly hit him on the stomach. 

"Don't go getting a big head." I say with a smile. "I _loved_ your eyes. I had trouble not losing myself in them. Then I saw you use your powers.." 

His hand pauses in my hair. No doubt he was waiting for me to say something negative. 

"When you showed off your powers.. It took my breath away. The way your muscles flexed as you moved.." I say, shooting him a cheeky grin. 

A smile flickered onto his face, his fingers running through my hair again. 

"The way the red energy reflects off your hair and eyes.." I continue. "The power you exude.. It's magnificent. _You're magnificent._ I wish you could see yourself the way I do.." I say, almost sadly. "And during the attack, you protected me. After hugging you that time at training, I realized you were the one that pulled me behind the couch.. _And_ you stood in front of me when Riptide threatened me.." I shuddered at that memory. "But I think the moment I fell in love with you, was when you comforted me after Darwin died.. You didn't judge me for crying. You hardly knew me, yet you held me. I felt safe. _You_ make me feel safe. And as a mutant.. That's _huge."_ I look up at him. "I love you." I murmur, lifting my head up to kiss him. 

He responds by kissing me back gently. Slowly, I snake my hands up to his neck, deepening the kiss. His hands slide down my sides, resting on my hips. I sigh against his lips and tangle my fingers in his hair. Wanting to be closer, Alex pulls me against him and wraps his arms tightly around me; burying a hand in my hair while his lips continue moving against mine. 

**_'I hope I'm not interrupting.'_** Professor Xavier says, telepathically. 

Alex and I snap apart, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. 

**_'Oh, don't act so surprised! I am a telepath, after all. It was getting ridiculous, the amount of time you two spent thinking about each other. It's quite amazing that I was able to function.'_**

Alex and I blushed harder, if that was even possible. 

**_'I suppose I need to come up with some boundaries. You two have permission to be together. But please, no PDA during class. As long as the relationship doesn't cause trouble for your studies, you're free to do as you wish. Although, I can't say you'll have much privacy when the other students come.'_**

"Other students? Studies?" I ask, completely confused. 

**_'Didn't Alex tell you? Xavier Mansion will now be a school and safe haven for mutants. The two of you, Hank, and Sean will continue developing your abilities and further learn to control them. As we have seen, you have many more abilities than we previously thought, Y/N. As for other students, the more the merrier. We'll continue recruiting as we did with you; saving young mutants off the streets.'_**

I smile. "That's a wonderful idea, Professor.. And I'm glad you're alive." I add. 

**_'Thanks to you, Y/N. You have a magnificent gift.'_**

"She sure does.." Alex says softly. 

I twine my fingers with his and gently kiss his cheek. 

**_'I suppose that's my cue to leave. There's only so much young love I can take... Bugger, I do sound like an old fart. Anyways, do try to keep the thoughts of magnificent biceps and breathtaking beauty to a minimum. It does give me a headache.'_**

Just when our blushes had died down, our cheeks were back to blazing. I felt the Professor retreat from my mind. 

"Well, that was embarrassing." I say. 

"Definitely." Alex agrees. "So.. You really think I have magnificent biceps?" He asks. 

I slap his chest. "Oh, shut up!" 

He chuckles. 

"Do you think I'm breathtakingly beautiful?" I tease. 

"Always." Alex replies seriously, wrapping his arms around me and placing a kiss on my forehead. 

_Alex Summers is secretly poetic.. Who knew?_

I smile and place a quick kiss on his lips, before laying my head back on his chest. His steady heartbeat slowly lulls me to sleep. 

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys thought! P.S I have no idea how Alex would react or behave around a girlfriend, so I took creative liberty and made it fluffy. Sorry if some of you think it's out of character. ~Kate


	14. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The final chapter of Rising Tides! This is the epilogue, but it also has a sneak peek of what the sequel will be about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little short, but I hope you guys enjoy!

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

It's three months later, and the new "Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters" is bustling with rowdy mutant children. Unfortunately, since the day Alex and I became a couple, the Professor had to wipe Moira McTaggert's memory. It was the only way to keep her safe from harsh interrogation. Professor X had no doubt that she would be able to withstand anything they had without revealing information; but for her sake, he didn't want her to endure it.

We currently had about ten mutant students, the oldest being fourteen years old. Even though Alex, Hank, Sean, and I had our own studies, we also helped teach the younger ones. While it could be extremely exhausting, it was worth it to see the young ones find confidence and acceptance at Xavier's School.

Hank started working on another Cerebro. He still had the schematics from the first one, and was planning on building it under the mansion. He said he also had a few other surprises planned. Knowing Hank, whatever he's working on is going to be huge.

Since Alex and I had never been in a serious relationship before, we decided to keep it a secret. We would tell the others when we were ready. Despite the secrecy, Alex and I had never been happier. Every moment we weren't studying or teaching, we spent together. It didn't matter what we did, or if we did anything. Just being together was enough. As long as I could be in his arms and look into his blue eyes, I was happy and content. I felt _safe._

And Sean was... Well, _Sean._ Most of the time he was cooking up trouble with the younger ones. Anytime the kids did something disastrous, their only response was: "Banshee said it was okay!" Needless to say, the Professor was not amused.

So, life carried on at Xavier's school. We continued to recruit and teach young, lost mutants. Everything was perfect.

However, perfection can only last so long...

 

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

"Charles' group of mutants continues to grow." Magneto muses. "His forces already outnumber ours. However, his _'school'_ encourages rules and regulations. The children aren't allowed to spread their wings to their fullest potential. He no doubt teaches _'peace'_ and _'unity'_ in his classes. But the truth of the matter is: there will _never_ be peace. Humans will never accept us. They have already waged war against us. _We must fight back!"_  
"What do you want us to do?" Angel speaks up.

"Start recruiting mutants." Magneto replies cooly.

"What if Charles and his team try to stop us?" Mystique asks.

"As I said before: _fight back!"_ Magneto orders. "There are too many weaknesses on their side.. Charles' compassion for humans.. Alex's obvious affection for _'Ocea,'_ as he dubbed her... It's time Charles learned that weaknesses in war get you _killed._ Dismissed."

Angel, Riptide, Azazel, Mystique, and (the new addition) Emma Frost, all nodded. They set out to begin their search for more mutants. After all, what's a war without soldiers?

 

**—X—————————X—————————X—**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said earlier, I hope you guys enjoyed! I have to warn you guys, the sequel will be darker than this one. It will deal with heavier stuff, but nothing too explicit. It'll be called Breaking Waves. So, keep an eye out! :D Thanks so much for all the support, guys! ~Kate


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